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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: current · snap · cabinet · racket · bear · stand · fall · tear

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. bear — the animal
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. current — of water
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. fall — to drop
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. fall — to drop
  12. current — happening now
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to click
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. fall — the season
  19. stand — to bear
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. current — electric
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  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