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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: cold · dip · mug · stem · rash · tear · deal · key

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. mug — a cup
  3. cold — not warm
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. dip — to sink
  6. tear — to rip
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. rash — hasty
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. deal — to handle
  13. mug — a face
  14. key — for a lock
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. key — the most important part
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — an illness
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. stem — to come from
  22. mug — to rob
  23. rash — a series
  24. key — in music

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