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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: squash · bear · tear · net · lie · mate · stem · wound

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bear — the animal
  5. stem — to come from
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. net — for catching
  9. lie — to recline
  10. squash — the sport
  11. tear — from crying
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. mate — to breed
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. net — after costs
  16. mate — a partner
  17. squash — to crush
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. net — in sport
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. wound — an injury
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bear — the animal

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