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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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. object — an aim
  4. object — a thing
  5. face — part of the head
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. staff — employees
  8. stem — to come from
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pass — a permit
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. staff — a stick
  13. prune — to trim
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. face — to confront
  16. object — to protest
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. tear — to rip
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. staff — employees
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. face — to point toward
  24. stem — a stem cell

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