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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. bound — tied together
  4. charge — electricity
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bound — obliged
  8. stem — to come from
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. charge — in control
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. charge — a price
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. tear — from crying
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bound — certain
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. stem — of a plant

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