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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. snap — to click
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. rock — a stone
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — the fruit
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. branch — a division
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. rock — music
  19. foot — a measure
  20. stem — to come from
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. branch — of a bank
  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