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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. fall — to drop
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. tube — the underground
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. fall — to drop
  12. tube — a container
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. present — the time now
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. fall — the season
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. stem — to come from
  21. present — there
  22. present — a gift
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. stem — of a plant

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