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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — the underground
  5. sharp — clever
  6. spring — the season
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. tube — a container
  11. tear — from crying
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. tear — from crying
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — of water
  17. firm — decided
  18. firm — a company
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. firm — steady
  23. branch — a division
  24. branch — of a bank

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