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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. tear — from crying
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. squash — the sport
  9. current — of water
  10. current — happening now
  11. can — to be able to
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. can — a tin
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — to come from
  17. can — a tin
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. pit — a hole
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. current — electric
  23. pit — in a race
  24. squash — to crush

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