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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  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. leaves — to go away
  2. file — a tool
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. staff — a stick
  5. staff — employees
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. row — a line
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. key — in music
  11. file — a document
  12. rock — a stone
  13. row — to paddle
  14. key — for a lock
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — to come from
  17. staff — employees
  18. track — a song
  19. track — a path
  20. rock — music
  21. key — the most important part
  22. track — to keep track
  23. file — a line of people
  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