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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: dip · tear · cold · board · date · stem · present · mug

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  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. cold — an illness
  2. tear — from crying
  3. present — there
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. tear — from crying
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. present — the time now
  11. dip — to sink
  12. mug — a cup
  13. stem — to come from
  14. mug — to rob
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. board — a committee
  17. date — the fruit
  18. cold — not warm
  19. mug — a face
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — to get on
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. present — a gift
  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