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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — from crying
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. field — farmland
  10. stem — to come from
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. field — for sport
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. field — a subject
  18. tear — to rip
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. mark — a grade
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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