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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 124 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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. key — in music
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. key — the most important part
  9. saw — the tool
  10. stem — to come from
  11. clip — a video
  12. bore — to tire
  13. clip — to cut
  14. tear — from crying
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. saw — the tool
  17. clip — for paper
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. bore — to drill
  21. tear — to rip
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. key — for a lock

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