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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 120 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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. tear — from crying
  3. land — ground
  4. land — to come down
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bank — for money
  8. stand — to bear
  9. land — a country
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bat — the animal
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bank — of a river
  20. pit — in a race
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bank — for money
  23. tube — a container
  24. pit — a hole

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