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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. tear — from crying
  4. mark — a trace
  5. stock — goods
  6. kid — child
  7. cell — a phone
  8. tear — from crying
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. face — to point toward
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. rest — a break
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. mark — a grade
  17. rest — what's left
  18. face — part of the head
  19. kid — to tease
  20. stem — to come from
  21. rest — what's left
  22. stock — shares
  23. cell — in biology
  24. face — to confront

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