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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: bear · sharp · tear · wake · club · present · can · stem

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. can — a tin
  3. present — there
  4. tear — from crying
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. sharp — clever
  7. tear — to rip
  8. club — for dancing
  9. present — the time now
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wake — a trail
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. club — for golf
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. club — a group
  17. bear — the animal
  18. can — a tin
  19. present — a gift
  20. can — to be able to
  21. bear — the animal
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. wake — before a funeral
  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