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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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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: rush · arm · dip · tear · rock · cold · stand · rest

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. tear — to rip
  4. cold — an illness
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rest — a break
  10. tear — from crying
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. dip — to sink
  14. rush — hurry
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. tear — from crying
  17. stand — to bear
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. rock — a stone
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. rock — music

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