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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. craft — boats
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. land — ground
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. craft — a skill
  9. board — to get on
  10. suit — to fit
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tear — from crying
  14. suit — clothes
  15. saw — the tool
  16. branch — a division
  17. land — to come down
  18. board — a committee
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. saw — the tool
  21. stem — to come from
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. suit — in cards
  24. land — a country

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