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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · fall · season · rule · hand · rush · racket · tear

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. fall — to drop
  5. season — of the year
  6. tear — from crying
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rush — hurry
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. fall — to drop
  12. rule — a law
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. fall — the season
  15. hand — in cards
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. tear — from crying
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. rule — government
  20. hand — help
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. season — in sport

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