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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. field — for sport
  3. stem — to come from
  4. tear — to rip
  5. bound — obliged
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bound — certain
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tube — the underground
  15. field — farmland
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. lean — thin
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. lean — to bend
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. can — to be able to
  22. bound — tied together
  23. tube — a container
  24. field — a subject

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