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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. row — a line
  3. file — a tool
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stand — to bear
  13. file — a line of people
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. tear — from crying
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. row — to paddle
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. file — a document
  24. stand — on your feet

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