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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: fall · cap · squash · rock · present · file · leaves · tear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. cap — a hat
  4. rock — a stone
  5. present — a gift
  6. file — a tool
  7. rock — music
  8. fall — the season
  9. cap — of ice
  10. present — the time now
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. cap — a lid
  13. fall — to drop
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. file — a line of people
  16. tear — from crying
  17. present — there
  18. fall — to drop
  19. squash — to crush
  20. squash — the sport
  21. file — a document
  22. tear — to rip
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. squash — the vegetable

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