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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: board · dip · cabinet · tear · bay · scale · fall · spring

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. fall — to drop
  3. spring — of water
  4. tear — to rip
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. tear — from crying
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. spring — a coil
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a committee
  14. scale — size or range
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fall — the season
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. spring — the season
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. dip — to sink

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