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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. pit — a hole
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. chest — a box
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wind — moving air
  8. tear — from crying
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cue — a signal
  12. tear — to rip
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cue — a hint
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pit — in a race
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. cue — for pool
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wind — moving air
  23. stem — to come from
  24. chest — of your body

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