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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. ball — a dance
  3. tear — to rip
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. cell — a phone
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. date — the fruit
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. pass — a permit
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. tear — from crying
  16. object — an aim
  17. ball — a great time
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. object — a thing
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. bore — to drill
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. object — to protest
  24. bore — to tire

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