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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stem · fall · cabinet · leaves · fan · tear

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — to come from
  5. fall — to drop
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. fall — the season
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. fall — to drop

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