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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 120 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: mouse · fall · stand · net · spell · tear · clip · rush

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. clip — for paper
  3. tear — to rip
  4. stand — to bear
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. tear — from crying
  7. fall — the season
  8. clip — a video
  9. tear — from crying
  10. spell — letters
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — for catching
  13. spell — magic
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. net — after costs
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. clip — to cut
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. rush — hurry
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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