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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. pit — in a race
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bulb — for light
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bulb — for light
  11. wake — a trail
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. press — to push
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. stem — to come from
  19. press — newspapers
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. tear — from crying
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. pit — a hole
  24. press — a publisher

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