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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: wind · coach · drill · tear · object · stick · stem · present

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. present — a gift
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. object — to protest
  7. object — a thing
  8. present — the time now
  9. object — an aim
  10. wind — moving air
  11. drill — a practice
  12. stem — to come from
  13. tear — from crying
  14. drill — the tool
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. wind — moving air
  17. tear — to rip
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. tear — from crying
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. drill — army training
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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