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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bear — the animal
  4. saw — the tool
  5. clip — to cut
  6. tear — to rip
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bear — the animal
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. fine — high quality
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. clip — a video
  15. tear — from crying
  16. chest — a box
  17. clip — for paper
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stem — to come from
  20. fine — all right
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. chest — of your body
  23. tear — from crying
  24. fine — a penalty

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