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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 120 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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bound — obliged
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. tear — from crying
  7. kick — in football
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — the arms race
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. foot — a measure
  14. tear — from crying
  15. stem — to come from
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bound — tied together
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bound — certain
  21. race — humankind
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. stand — to bear
  24. tear — to rip

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