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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. bound — tied together
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. pop — soda
  7. season — of the year
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. tear — to rip
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. tear — from crying
  12. capital — money
  13. pop — music
  14. bound — obliged
  15. pop — to visit
  16. capital — a city
  17. tear — from crying
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bound — certain
  20. stem — to come from
  21. pit — a hole
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. pit — in a race
  24. wake — a trail

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