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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rash — hasty
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. tear — from crying
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. rash — a series
  8. stem — to come from
  9. race — the arms race
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. tear — to rip
  12. fork — in a road
  13. object — a thing
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. stand — to bear
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. race — humankind
  18. object — to protest
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. race — a contest

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