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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  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. tear — to rip
  2. present — there
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. ground — the earth
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. fall — the season
  9. tear — from crying
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. lean — thin
  13. ground — crushed
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fall — to drop
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. present — the time now
  18. stem — to come from
  19. ground — a position
  20. present — a gift
  21. fork — in a road
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. lean — to bend
  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