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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. charge — electricity
  9. cue — a hint
  10. tear — from crying
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. stem — to come from
  13. charge — a price
  14. lean — thin
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cue — a signal
  17. lean — to bend
  18. tear — to rip
  19. cue — for pool
  20. charge — in control
  21. cold — an illness
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. tear — from crying

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