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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: nail · stick · bound · mate · tear · staff · stem · fall

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stem — to come from
  5. fall — to drop
  6. tear — from crying
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. mate — a friend
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. staff — employees
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. bound — certain
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — tied together
  24. tear — to rip

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