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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bound — certain
  5. firm — a company
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. firm — steady
  8. bound — tied together
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. row — a line
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cell — in biology
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. scale — in music
  16. firm — decided
  17. bound — obliged
  18. scale — size or range
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. row — to paddle
  21. shower — to wash
  22. tear — from crying
  23. shower — rain
  24. cell — a phone

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