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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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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. tear — to rip
  3. wake — a trail
  4. march — the month
  5. court — of law
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. march — music
  8. mug — to rob
  9. stem — to come from
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. mug — a face
  14. rule — government
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. court — for sport
  17. march — the month
  18. rule — a law
  19. court — of a king
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. mug — a cup

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