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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. chip — for betting
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. dip — to sink
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. squash — the sport
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. tear — from crying
  9. squash — to crush
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. stem — to come from
  13. fall — the season
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. tear — to rip
  16. fall — to drop
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. chip — to eat
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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