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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bark — to shout
  3. prune — to trim
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. tear — to rip
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. stem — to come from
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. tear — from crying
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mark — a grade
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. mark — a trace
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — a division
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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