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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: fine · cold · bowl · stem · toast · tear · mark · object

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cold — not warm
  5. fine — all right
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. mark — a trace
  12. tear — from crying
  13. toast — bread
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. object — to protest
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. mark — a grade
  19. fine — high quality
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. object — an aim
  22. tear — to rip
  23. object — a thing
  24. bowl — to roll

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