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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: temple · firm · cabinet · tear · capital · lean · fall · dip

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. capital — a city
  3. tear — from crying
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. dip — to sink
  6. tear — from crying
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. firm — decided
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. lean — to bend
  12. capital — money
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. firm — a company
  17. tear — to rip
  18. fall — to drop
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. lean — thin
  21. fall — the season
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. fall — to drop
  24. temple — a place of worship

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