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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. cold — not warm
  4. season — in sport
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cold — an illness
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. pass — a permit
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. branch — a division
  14. saw — the tool
  15. season — of the year
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. fine — high quality
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. tear — to rip
  22. stem — to come from
  23. fine — all right
  24. pass — to succeed

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