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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. cell — a phone
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. mug — to rob
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. mug — a face
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. wake — a trail
  15. tube — a container
  16. mug — a cup
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. tear — to rip
  19. cell — in biology
  20. tube — the underground
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. stem — to come from
  24. tube — in a tire

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