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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  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. straw — a straw man
  2. tear — from crying
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. tear — to rip
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. can — a tin
  8. chest — a box
  9. shower — rain
  10. tear — from crying
  11. can — a tin
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. stock — shares
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. craft — a skill
  17. craft — boats
  18. stem — to come from
  19. chest — of your body
  20. stock — goods
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — to wash
  23. can — to be able to
  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