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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. stem — to come from
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fall — to drop
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. tear — to rip
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. game — a match
  12. suit — in cards
  13. fall — the season
  14. suit — clothes
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. date — the fruit
  19. suit — to fit
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. game — wild animals
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. date — on the calendar

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