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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. tear — from crying
  3. capital — money
  4. swing — music
  5. stem — to come from
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. stand — to bear
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — a city
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. hand — in cards
  12. tear — to rip
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. suit — clothes
  15. suit — in cards
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. swing — to play on
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. tear — from crying
  23. swing — in golf
  24. suit — to fit

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