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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: wound · fine · kick · can · tear · content · fall · net

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. kick — in football
  3. can — to be able to
  4. tear — from crying
  5. fall — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. net — after costs
  8. tear — to rip
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. fall — to drop
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. content — happy
  14. wound — an injury
  15. fine — all right
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. fine — high quality
  18. can — a tin
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. content — the amount
  24. wound — an injury

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