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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: cold · cabinet · hide · jam · lie · stand · tear · nail

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. lie — to recline
  6. stand — to bear
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cold — not warm
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. tear — to rip
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cold — an illness
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. lie — an untruth

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