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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. tear — to rip
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. tear — from crying
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. stem — to come from
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. fork — in a road

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