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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. tear — from crying
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — to paddle
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. cap — of ice
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. stem — to come from
  14. row — a line
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. cap — a hat
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. cap — a lid
  21. tear — to rip
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. rush — hurry
  24. bulb — for light

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