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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: net · bear · staff · chest · tear · rule · fall · craft

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. staff — a stick
  3. chest — a box
  4. rule — a law
  5. staff — employees
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bear — the animal
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fall — the season
  10. tear — to rip
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bear — the animal
  13. chest — of your body
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. net — after costs
  16. staff — employees
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. chest — of your body
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. net — for catching
  21. craft — boats
  22. rule — government
  23. fall — to drop
  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