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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: bear · band · fall · mark · tear · lean · leaves · spring

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bear — the animal
  3. mark — a grade
  4. band — a music group
  5. fall — the season
  6. spring — the season
  7. tear — from crying
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. lean — to bend
  10. band — a ring
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — of water
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. bear — the animal
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. tear — to rip
  17. lean — thin
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. tear — from crying
  23. mark — a trace
  24. 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