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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. last — finally
  3. hand — help
  4. stand — to bear
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. ground — the earth
  7. last — to go on
  8. hand — in cards
  9. craft — boats
  10. ground — a position
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. ground — crushed
  15. can — a tin
  16. tear — from crying
  17. can — to be able to
  18. last — final
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. tear — to rip
  21. stem — to come from
  22. can — a tin
  23. craft — a skill
  24. hand — part of the body

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