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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: arm · fork · mate · dip · fall · tear · band · calf

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. fall — to drop
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. mate — a partner
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. band — a ring
  8. tear — from crying
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fall — the season
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. fork — in a road
  14. dip — to sink
  15. mate — a friend
  16. tear — to rip
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. fall — to drop
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  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