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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: rule · key · swing · leaves · fall · tube · tear · content

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rule — government
  4. tear — from crying
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. swing — to play on
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. rule — a law
  9. content — happy
  10. swing — music
  11. fall — to drop
  12. swing — in golf
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. key — in music
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. tube — the underground
  19. fall — to drop
  20. tear — from crying
  21. fall — the season
  22. tear — to rip
  23. key — for a lock
  24. key — the most important part

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