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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 124 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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. board — a committee
  5. stem — to come from
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. roll — a cake
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. hand — help
  13. pit — in a race
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. roll — a list
  19. tear — to rip
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. pit — a hole
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. board — to get on

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