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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: pass · arm · snap · tear · object · chest · stem · wake

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. tear — from crying
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. object — an aim
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. wake — a trail
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pass — a permit
  13. object — to protest
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. object — a thing
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. chest — a box
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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