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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 116 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. wake — a trail
  4. last — final
  5. staff — employees
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. scale — in music
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. staff — employees
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. scale — size or range
  13. lie — to recline
  14. last — finally
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. last — to go on
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. tear — from crying
  21. stem — to come from
  22. tear — from crying
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. staff — a stick

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