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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. chest — of your body
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. bank — for money
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. bank — of a river
  8. cell — a phone
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stock — goods
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. tear — to rip
  13. chest — of your body
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. tear — from crying
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bank — for money
  20. chest — a box
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — shares
  23. cell — in biology
  24. ruler — for measuring

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