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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. fine — all right
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tube — the underground
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. can — a tin
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. cell — in biology
  14. tear — to rip
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. can — to be able to
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tube — a container
  20. cell — a phone
  21. fine — high quality
  22. can — a tin
  23. fall — the season
  24. mine — for digging

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