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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: rush · tear · board · capital · fall · trunk · lie · patient

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. fall — the season
  3. board — to get on
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. capital — a city
  7. rush — hurry
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. tear — from crying
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. lie — to recline
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. tear — to rip
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. board — a committee
  23. tear — from crying
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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