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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. tear — from crying
  3. root — the cause
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. wound — an injury
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. fall — to drop
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. stem — to come from
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. wound — an injury
  15. root — of a plant
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. fall — the season
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. root — of a word
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. tear — to rip
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. fall — to drop

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