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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stem — to come from
  3. present — there
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. last — final
  8. sharp — clever
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. current — of water
  12. last — finally
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pass — a permit
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. present — the time now
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — electric
  20. present — a gift
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. tear — from crying
  23. last — to go on
  24. racket — a loud noise

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