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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mug — a cup
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mug — to rob
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — shares
  12. tear — to rip
  13. rash — a series
  14. drill — the tool
  15. stem — to come from
  16. mug — a face
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. pop — soda
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — a practice
  21. pop — music
  22. tear — from crying
  23. rash — hasty
  24. pop — to visit

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