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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 120 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: rock · stem · fan · tear · tube · deal · bore · lean

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. bore — to drill
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. lean — to bend
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. tube — a container
  9. tear — from crying
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. rock — music
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. tear — to rip
  15. deal — to handle
  16. tear — from crying
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. tube — the underground
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. rock — a stone
  22. bore — to tire
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bore — gave birth

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