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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. chip — for betting
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bear — the animal
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — to come from
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mine — for digging
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. mark — a grade
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. tear — from crying

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