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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: tear · bear · leaves · toast · chest · march · fall · suit

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. march — the month
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bear — the animal
  6. suit — clothes
  7. fall — to drop
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. tear — from crying
  10. toast — bread
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. suit — to fit
  13. fall — the season
  14. suit — in cards
  15. chest — a box
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. march — music
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. march — the month
  20. bear — the animal
  21. chest — of your body
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. fall — to drop

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