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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: mine · tear · roll · dip · stem · kid · jam · foot

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stem — to come from
  3. dip — to sink
  4. mine — for digging
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. tear — from crying
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — a measure
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — to tease
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. roll — a list
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. roll — a cake

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