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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. firm — a company
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — to wash
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. shower — rain
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. branch — a division
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stem — to come from
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — to recline
  14. firm — decided
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — in music
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. firm — steady
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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