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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. object — to protest
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. net — for catching
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. object — an aim
  7. sharp — clever
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. net — in sport
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. object — a thing
  13. tear — to rip
  14. track — a song
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a path
  18. net — after costs
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stand — to bear
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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