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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. present — there
  3. stem — to come from
  4. tear — to rip
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. net — after costs
  7. mark — a trace
  8. present — the time now
  9. net — in sport
  10. present — a gift
  11. tear — from crying
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. mark — a grade
  14. bore — to tire
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. sharp — clever
  18. perch — the fish
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. net — for catching
  24. bore — to drill

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