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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. row — a line
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. season — of the year
  7. rock — music
  8. bore — to tire
  9. saw — the tool
  10. tear — from crying
  11. rock — a stone
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. row — to paddle
  15. saw — the tool
  16. rush — hurry
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bore — to drill
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. season — in sport
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. stem — to come from
  24. season — to add flavour

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