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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 116 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: row · cap · stem · fall · mug · field · tear · bank

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. row — a line
  3. field — for sport
  4. fall — to drop
  5. field — a subject
  6. mug — a cup
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. tear — from crying
  9. row — to paddle
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bank — for money
  13. cap — of ice
  14. fall — the season
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. field — farmland
  17. tear — to rip
  18. cap — a hat
  19. bank — of a river
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bank — for money
  22. mug — a face
  23. fall — to drop
  24. stem — to come from

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