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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. tear — to rip
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. tear — from crying
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. hand — help
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tube — a container
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. spring — a coil
  15. hand — in cards
  16. spring — of water
  17. branch — a division
  18. tube — the underground
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. stem — to come from
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. branch — of a bank

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