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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. chair — a leader
  5. cap — of ice
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. snap — to click
  8. tear — to rip
  9. stock — shares
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cap — a hat
  13. track — to keep track
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stock — goods
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. track — a path
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. track — a song
  23. cap — a lid
  24. stem — a stem cell

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