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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: stem · tear · wind · board · lie · bear · mouse · net

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. tear — from crying
  3. net — after costs
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. lie — to recline
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — for catching
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. tear — from crying
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — to get on
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. tear — to rip
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. stem — to come from
  22. bear — the animal
  23. board — a committee
  24. wind — moving air

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