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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. can — a tin
  3. lie — to recline
  4. can — a tin
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — the sport
  8. stem — to come from
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. can — to be able to
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. squash — to crush
  18. kid — to tease
  19. tear — to rip
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — child
  23. lie — an untruth
  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