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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: tear · lash · saw · fan · patient · can · stem · land

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. can — to be able to
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. can — a tin
  7. land — ground
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. stem — to come from
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. land — a country
  16. tear — to rip
  17. land — to come down
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. can — a tin
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. patient — a sick person

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