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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fan · cabinet · mate · can · lean · tear · wound · fall

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. lean — to bend
  3. mate — to breed
  4. can — a tin
  5. fall — to drop
  6. can — a tin
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. mate — a partner
  12. tear — to rip
  13. mate — a friend
  14. wound — an injury
  15. can — to be able to
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fall — the season
  19. tear — from crying
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. lean — thin
  22. tear — from crying
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. fall — to drop

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