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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. swing — music
  6. net — for catching
  7. swing — to play on
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. current — of water
  10. net — in sport
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. net — after costs
  19. stem — to come from
  20. current — electric
  21. current — happening now
  22. swing — in golf
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. rush — hurry

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