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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. rash — a series
  6. march — the month
  7. track — to keep track
  8. tear — from crying
  9. track — a song
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. track — a path
  12. tear — from crying
  13. march — the month
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. march — music
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — a container
  22. rash — hasty
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. arm — a part of something

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