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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: cabinet · march · suit · press · stem · wound · dip · tear

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. press — newspapers
  3. tear — to rip
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. march — music
  7. tear — from crying
  8. dip — to sink
  9. press — a publisher
  10. suit — clothes
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wound — an injury
  15. march — the month
  16. wound — an injury
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. press — to push
  20. tear — from crying
  21. march — the month
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. suit — in cards
  24. suit — to fit

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