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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  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. rock — a stone
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. mate — to breed
  4. tear — to rip
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. lie — to recline
  8. mate — a partner
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. mate — a friend
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. tear — from crying
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — to come from
  18. rock — music
  19. tear — from crying
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. game — a match
  23. game — wild animals
  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