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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. mate — to breed
  3. cell — in biology
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — a trace
  11. stem — to come from
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. mine — for digging
  14. cell — a phone
  15. mate — a partner
  16. tear — from crying
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. tear — to rip
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. mate — a friend

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