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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. fork — in a road
  5. pass — a permit
  6. kick — in football
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. firm — steady
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. firm — a company
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. firm — decided
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a document
  19. mine — for digging
  20. file — a tool
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. stem — to come from

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