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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 124 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. tear — from crying
  3. board — a committee
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. cap — a lid
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. cap — a hat
  10. tear — to rip
  11. fall — to drop
  12. cap — of ice
  13. game — a match
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wake — a trail
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. stem — to come from
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. tear — from crying
  21. board — to get on
  22. game — wild animals
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. fall — the season

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