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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. track — to keep track
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bound — certain
  5. track — a song
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bound — obliged
  10. stem — to come from
  11. track — a path
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — happy
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bound — tied together
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — size or range
  21. dip — to sink
  22. tear — to rip
  23. content — the amount
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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