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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — there
  5. stem — to come from
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. mate — a partner
  8. row — a line
  9. mine — for digging
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. tear — from crying
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. tear — from crying
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. present — a gift
  19. tear — to rip
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a friend
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — a monarch

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