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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: mark · mine · tear · march · leaves · cabinet · stick · fall

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — to drop
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. mark — a grade
  9. march — music
  10. fall — the season
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. march — the month
  16. tear — to rip
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. march — the month
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mark — a trace
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. tear — from crying

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