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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. current — of water
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. snap — to click
  12. tear — to rip
  13. rash — a series
  14. tear — from crying
  15. squash — to crush
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. squash — the sport
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — electric
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. stem — to come from

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