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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 124 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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. stand — to bear
  3. spell — letters
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. tear — to rip
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — for paper
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. clip — to cut
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. lie — to recline
  13. tear — from crying
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. tear — from crying
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. spell — a short time
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. spell — magic
  24. leaves — of a tree

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