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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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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: lash · wax · tear · chip · land · fall · net · leaves

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. tear — to rip
  3. land — a country
  4. tear — from crying
  5. land — to come down
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. net — for catching
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. land — ground
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. chip — for betting
  14. wax — to grow
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. net — in sport
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. chip — to eat
  20. tear — from crying
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. net — after costs

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