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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · dip · stick · march · tear · object

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. dip — to sink
  3. march — music
  4. tear — to rip
  5. march — the month
  6. tear — from crying
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. cell — a phone
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. object — an aim
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. tear — from crying
  14. object — a thing
  15. march — the month
  16. object — to protest
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. dip — to dunk

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