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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: club · foot · stem · bowl · tear · wound

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. club — for dancing
  3. tear — from crying
  4. foot — a measure
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. club — a group
  11. stem — to come from
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. tear — from crying
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. club — for golf

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