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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. clip — a video
  4. face — to point toward
  5. foot — a measure
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stock — shares
  8. tear — from crying
  9. stem — to come from
  10. face — part of the head
  11. tear — to rip
  12. stock — goods
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. face — to confront
  17. wind — moving air
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. clip — to cut
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. clip — for paper
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. tear — from crying

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