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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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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bore — to drill
  4. content — happy
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — the amount
  10. tear — to rip
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. hand — help
  13. bore — to tire
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. tear — from crying
  18. hand — in cards

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