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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: leaves · can · tear · ground · roll · stem · scale · row

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. can — a tin
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. scale — in music
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. ground — the earth
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. row — a line
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. roll — a list
  15. row — to paddle
  16. stem — to come from
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. can — to be able to
  20. tear — from crying
  21. ground — crushed
  22. can — a tin
  23. roll — a cake
  24. ground — a position

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