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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. firm — steady
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. fall — the season
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. dip — to sink
  7. lean — thin
  8. cell — in biology
  9. pound — a weight
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. object — a thing
  15. firm — decided
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. cell — a phone
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. lean — to bend
  20. firm — a company
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. object — an aim

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