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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. court — of law
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. cap — of ice
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. cap — a hat
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of a king
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. staff — employees
  13. mug — a face
  14. cap — a lid
  15. mug — a cup
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. staff — employees
  21. mug — to rob
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. tear — to rip
  24. staff — a stick

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