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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. present — a gift
  3. can — a tin
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. can — to be able to
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. present — there
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. file — a tool
  12. row — a line
  13. file — a document
  14. present — the time now
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. can — a tin
  17. row — to paddle
  18. file — a line of people

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