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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 120 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. lean — thin
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. bound — obliged
  6. tear — to rip
  7. bound — certain
  8. fine — high quality
  9. tear — from crying
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — hurry
  18. fine — all right
  19. lean — to bend
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bound — tied together
  22. tear — from crying
  23. season — in sport
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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