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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: dip · stand · tear · season · stem · cold · chip · ruler

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. tear — to rip
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. stem — to come from
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. season — of the year
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. season — in sport
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. cold — an illness
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. tear — from crying
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. chip — to eat
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. tear — from crying
  18. dip — to sink
  19. chip — for betting
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. cold — not warm
  24. ruler — for measuring

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