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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: suit · tear · fork · stem · lie · rule · bass · branch

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. stem — to come from
  3. suit — in cards
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. bass — low music
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bass — the fish
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. branch — a division
  10. rule — government
  11. suit — clothes
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. fork — in a road
  14. lie — to recline
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. suit — to fit
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. tear — to rip
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. rule — a law
  24. fork — a garden tool

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