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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. can — to be able to
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. tear — to rip
  14. can — a tin
  15. mark — a grade
  16. tear — from crying
  17. can — a tin
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. fall — the season
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. tear — from crying
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. mouse — the animal

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