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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rush · tear · stem · trunk · net · rash · chest · bear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bear — the animal
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bear — the animal
  6. chest — of your body
  7. tear — to rip
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. rash — a series
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rash — hasty
  14. chest — a box
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. stem — to come from
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. net — after costs
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — in sport
  24. chest — of your 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