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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. firm — decided
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rash — hasty
  10. firm — a company
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — in music
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. firm — steady
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. rash — a series
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. stem — to come from
  24. key — for a lock

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