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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. lie — to recline
  4. rest — a break
  5. stand — to bear
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. bass — the fish
  8. tear — from crying
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. rest — what's left
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. kid — to tease
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. rest — what's left
  17. kid — child
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bass — low music
  23. stem — to come from
  24. lie — an untruth

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