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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. stem — to come from
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. cap — a hat
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. firm — a company
  11. firm — decided
  12. bank — of a river
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cap — a lid
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. tear — from crying
  18. cue — a signal
  19. bank — for money
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bank — for money
  23. mine — for digging
  24. cue — a hint

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