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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: fall · jam · lean · bay · hide · tear · leaves · current

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  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. jam — in traffic
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. current — happening now
  4. tear — to rip
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. lean — thin
  10. fall — to drop
  11. tear — from crying
  12. current — electric
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. fall — the season
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. tear — from crying
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. lean — to bend
  19. current — of water
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. leaves — of a tree
  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