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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. saw — the tool
  6. scale — size or range
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. cue — a signal
  9. stem — to come from
  10. drill — a practice
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. drill — the tool
  13. cue — for pool
  14. scale — in music
  15. bear — the animal
  16. tear — from crying
  17. saw — the tool
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. cue — a hint
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bear — the animal
  24. drill — army training

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