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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 120 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: tear · arm · drill · track · saw · fine · stem · spring

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. track — a path
  3. saw — the tool
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. drill — a practice
  6. spring — of water
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stem — to come from
  9. tear — to rip
  10. track — a song
  11. drill — army training
  12. track — to keep track
  13. spring — a coil
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. fine — high quality
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. drill — the tool
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. tear — from crying
  21. spring — the season
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. arm — part of the body

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