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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: tear · ruler · firm · fall · patient · cabinet · tube · net

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. net — for catching
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. net — in sport
  5. tube — a container
  6. fall — to drop
  7. firm — a company
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. fall — the season
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fall — to drop
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. tube — the underground
  15. net — after costs
  16. tear — to rip
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. firm — steady
  24. firm — decided

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