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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. last — final
  3. drill — a practice
  4. tear — from crying
  5. last — finally
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. drill — the tool
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tube — a container
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. mine — for digging
  13. tear — to rip
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. craft — boats
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. last — to go on
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. kick — in football
  20. craft — a skill
  21. drill — army training
  22. stem — to come from
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. tube — the underground

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