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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 116 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: saw · tear · hide · stick · fine · cap · stem · bay

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stem — to come from
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. saw — the tool
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — of ice
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. fine — high quality
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. tear — to rip
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. saw — the tool
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. fine — all right
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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