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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. tear — to rip
  3. present — there
  4. hand — help
  5. present — a gift
  6. mate — to breed
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. mate — a partner
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. pass — a permit
  12. hand — in cards
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. mate — a friend
  16. dip — to sink
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. stem — to come from
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. tear — from crying
  23. present — the time now
  24. pass — to spend time

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