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

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. file — a document
  3. spell — letters
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. spell — magic
  7. degree — from a university
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. file — a tool
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. stem — to come from
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. spell — a short time
  18. file — a line of people
  19. degree — an amount
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. snap — to click
  22. degree — temperature
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. stem — a stem cell

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