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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 120 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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. tear — to rip
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. wind — moving air
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. mug — a face
  11. band — a music group
  12. rash — a series
  13. staff — employees
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — to come from
  16. mug — to rob
  17. rash — hasty
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. wind — moving air
  21. staff — a stick
  22. band — a ring
  23. staff — employees
  24. mug — a cup

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