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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. cold — not warm
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. pass — a permit
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. tear — to rip
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. snap — to click
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. tear — from crying
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cold — an illness
  23. lie — to recline
  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