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

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. file — a document
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — child
  6. board — to get on
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. board — a committee
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rush — hurry
  11. root — the cause
  12. root — of a word
  13. root — of a plant
  14. kid — to tease
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. wound — an injury
  18. file — a line of people
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. file — a tool
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. temple — a place of worship

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