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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. hand — in cards
  3. tear — from crying
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. capital — a city
  10. mine — for digging
  11. cue — a signal
  12. tear — to rip
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. capital — money
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. tear — from crying
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cue — for pool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. stem — to come from
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. hand — help

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