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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bank — for money
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tube — a container
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. tear — to rip
  10. foot — a measure
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. rock — a stone
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bank — for money
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bank — of a river
  19. rock — music
  20. bat — the animal
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — in a tire

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