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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: tear · cabinet · lean · chip · safe · lash · ball · fall

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. ball — a great time
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. ball — a dance
  16. tear — from crying
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — for betting
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. lean — to bend
  23. tear — from crying
  24. fall — the season

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