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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: mate · cue · tear · land · fall · perch · rash · pass

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. tear — from crying
  3. cue — a hint
  4. mate — a friend
  5. rash — a series
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. land — to come down
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mate — to breed
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. pass — a permit
  15. fall — the season
  16. cue — for pool
  17. rash — hasty
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. land — a country
  21. cue — a signal
  22. mate — a partner
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. land — ground

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