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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. tear — from crying
  3. object — a thing
  4. charge — electricity
  5. saw — the tool
  6. charge — a price
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. object — an aim
  10. tear — from crying
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. saw — the tool
  13. shower — to wash
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. charge — in control
  19. deal — to handle
  20. shower — rain
  21. object — to protest
  22. tear — to rip
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. stem — of a plant

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