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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: dip · jam · court · tear · fall · wave · bat · lean

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. lean — to bend
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. court — of a king
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bat — the animal
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. fall — the season
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. fall — to drop
  19. court — of law
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. court — for sport
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wave — with your hand

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