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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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468
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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. stem — to come from
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. branch — a division
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. spell — letters
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. tear — from crying

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