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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. net — for catching
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. tear — from crying
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lean — thin
  9. stem — to come from
  10. game — wild animals
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. net — in sport
  14. stand — to bear
  15. lean — to bend
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. net — after costs
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. game — a match
  21. rush — hurry
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — a stem cell

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