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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: stem · file · pitch · date · tear · craft · present · rock

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rock — a stone
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. file — a tool
  7. file — a line of people
  8. present — a gift
  9. rock — music
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. present — the time now
  12. date — the fruit
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. present — there
  16. craft — a skill
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. craft — boats
  19. pitch — completely
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. file — a document
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. stem — to come from

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