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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. can — a tin
  3. fall — to drop
  4. land — ground
  5. cap — of ice
  6. net — after costs
  7. fall — the season
  8. net — for catching
  9. land — a country
  10. net — in sport
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. can — to be able to
  13. cap — a lid
  14. fall — to drop
  15. can — a tin
  16. tear — to rip
  17. object — to protest
  18. cap — a hat
  19. land — to come down
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. object — a thing
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. object — an aim
  24. tear — from crying

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