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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. vault — a safe
  3. can — to be able to
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. can — a tin
  7. perch — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cap — a hat
  15. tear — to rip
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. can — a tin
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. stem — to come from
  21. cap — a lid
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. cap — of ice
  24. stem — a stem cell

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