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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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. file — a tool
  4. stem — to come from
  5. squash — the sport
  6. land — ground
  7. ground — the earth
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. squash — to crush
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — a country
  12. tear — to rip
  13. can — a tin
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. lie — to recline
  16. ground — crushed
  17. can — a tin
  18. ground — a position
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a line of people
  22. tear — from crying
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. can — to be able to

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