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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. tear — from crying
  3. band — a ring
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. tear — from crying
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. lean — to bend
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. lean — thin
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. rest — a break
  16. tear — to rip
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. rest — what's left
  19. stem — to come from
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. band — a music group
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. rest — what's left

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