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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — to come from
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. tear — from crying
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. craft — boats
  11. net — after costs
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. chest — of your body
  14. net — in sport
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. roll — a cake
  17. net — for catching
  18. craft — a skill
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. chest — a box
  21. tear — to rip
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. chest — of your body

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