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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 120 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
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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: staff · net · row · tear · fall · key · can · wake

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. staff — a stick
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. staff — employees
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. net — in sport
  7. row — to paddle
  8. fall — to drop
  9. net — after costs
  10. key — for a lock
  11. wake — a trail
  12. key — in music
  13. can — a tin
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. tear — from crying
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. row — a line
  19. can — a tin
  20. tear — from crying
  21. net — for catching
  22. staff — employees
  23. key — the most important part
  24. can — to be able to

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