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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. firm — steady
  4. tear — from crying
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. firm — a company
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. firm — decided
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. stem — to come from
  13. tear — to rip
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. season — of the year
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. tear — from crying
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — to crush

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