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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. tear — from crying
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mark — a trace
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. wind — moving air
  10. tear — from crying
  11. lean — thin
  12. fall — to drop
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. tear — to rip
  18. net — after costs
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — to bend
  24. mark — a grade

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