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

Word bank: pitcher · bay · rule · fall · ground · branch · cabinet · tear

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. ground — the earth
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — government
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. branch — a division
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. ground — a position
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. fall — to drop
  23. ground — crushed
  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