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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. tear — to rip
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. last — to go on
  5. tear — from crying
  6. stem — to come from
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. fall — the season
  9. last — finally
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — clever
  14. tear — from crying
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. last — final
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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