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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. firm — a company
  6. stem — to come from
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. firm — steady
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. tear — from crying
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. firm — decided
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. tear — to rip

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