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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. court — for sport
  3. tear — to rip
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. court — of law
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mug — a cup
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. mug — a face
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mark — a trace
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. stem — to come from
  18. court — of a king
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. tear — from crying
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. mine — belonging to me

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