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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. spell — letters
  3. race — the arms race
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. board — a committee
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. squash — the sport
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. board — to get on
  11. squash — to crush
  12. race — a contest
  13. spell — magic
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. tear — from crying
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. spell — a short time
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. race — humankind
  23. stem — to come from
  24. tear — from crying

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