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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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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 · wind · row · drill · patient · stock · pass · stem

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. pass — a permit
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wind — moving air
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. row — to paddle
  8. drill — army training
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. row — a line
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stock — shares
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. drill — a practice
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stock — goods
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. tear — to rip

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