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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 124 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. net — after costs
  3. file — a line of people
  4. key — for a lock
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. file — a tool
  7. tear — from crying
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. key — the most important part
  12. bark — to shout
  13. key — in music
  14. mug — to rob
  15. stem — to come from
  16. file — a document
  17. stand — to bear
  18. tear — to rip
  19. net — for catching
  20. mug — a cup
  21. net — in sport
  22. mug — a face
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. stand — on your feet

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