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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: key · bulb · stick · fall · stem · racket · row · tear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bulb — for light
  6. stem — to come from
  7. row — a line
  8. key — the most important part
  9. fall — the season
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bulb — for light
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. tear — to rip
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. key — for a lock
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. key — in music
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. fall — to drop

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