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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. roll — a cake
  3. mug — to rob
  4. stem — to come from
  5. rule — government
  6. roll — a list
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. tear — to rip
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. tear — from crying
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. rule — a law
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. mug — a face
  23. mug — a cup
  24. roll — on a roll

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