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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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Word bank
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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: hand · stem · tear · bore · cabinet · net

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. bore — to drill
  4. stem — to come from
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. tear — to rip
  8. net — after costs
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. net — for catching
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. net — in sport
  16. bore — to tire
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. tear — from crying

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