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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. tear — to rip
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. track — a song
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. stand — to bear
  10. season — in sport
  11. stem — to come from
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. tear — from crying
  15. deal — to handle
  16. prune — to trim
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. track — to keep track
  19. season — of the year
  20. tear — from crying
  21. track — a path
  22. rule — a law
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. stem — of a plant

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