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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: tear · swing · cap · stem · toast · foot

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. foot — a measure
  3. swing — to play on
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cap — a lid
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. cap — a hat
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — music
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. cap — of ice
  15. tear — to rip
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. stem — to come from
  18. toast — bread

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