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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. row — a line
  3. can — a tin
  4. wind — moving air
  5. can — a tin
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. kid — to tease
  9. row — to paddle
  10. tear — to rip
  11. fall — to drop
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. can — to be able to
  14. kid — child
  15. firm — steady
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rule — government
  18. wind — moving air
  19. rule — a law
  20. firm — a company
  21. fall — the season
  22. firm — decided
  23. fall — to drop
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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