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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 120 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: snap · fall · stand · firm · leaves · tear · cap · stem

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cap — a lid
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. firm — decided
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. cap — a hat
  9. fall — to drop
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. fall — the season
  14. cap — of ice
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. tear — from crying
  17. fall — to drop
  18. firm — steady
  19. tear — to rip
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stem — to come from
  23. firm — a company
  24. stem — of a plant

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