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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. club — for dancing
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. tear — from crying
  7. deal — to handle
  8. stem — to come from
  9. tear — to rip
  10. fork — in a road
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. spring — the season
  13. club — for golf
  14. suit — in cards
  15. suit — clothes
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — a coil
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — to recline
  23. tear — from crying
  24. club — a group

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