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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · leaves · stand · bulb · bass · fall · dip · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. fall — to drop
  4. stand — to bear
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bass — the fish
  8. dip — to sink
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bass — low music
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. bulb — for light
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. hand — in cards
  19. tear — to rip
  20. fall — the season
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. fall — to drop
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. stand — for spectators

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