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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. tear — to rip
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. tear — from crying
  6. cap — a lid
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. bear — the animal
  13. tear — from crying
  14. fall — to drop
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bear — the animal
  18. last — finally
  19. fall — the season
  20. plane — a tool
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. last — final
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. last — to go on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com