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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. present — a gift
  4. sharp — clever
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. rock — a stone
  7. tear — from crying
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. saw — the tool
  10. present — there
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. tear — to rip
  16. saw — the tool
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. present — the time now
  19. rock — music
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — ground
  22. land — a country
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. stem — to come from

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