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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: rest · cold · leaves · rock · tear · net · jam · stem

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. net — after costs
  3. tear — from crying
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rock — music
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. net — for catching
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — an illness
  14. tear — from crying
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. rest — what's left
  17. stem — to come from
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. tear — to rip
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. rest — a break
  22. net — in sport
  23. cold — not warm
  24. leaves — of a tree

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