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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 is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. stock — goods
  5. race — a contest
  6. row — a line
  7. race — the arms race
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. deal — to handle
  15. tear — from crying
  16. race — humankind
  17. stem — to come from
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. stock — shares
  21. row — to paddle
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. snap — to click
  24. stem — of a plant

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