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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. bank — for money
  3. field — for sport
  4. bank — for money
  5. file — a tool
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. field — farmland
  13. bank — of a river
  14. stem — to come from
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bore — to drill
  17. mine — for digging
  18. field — a subject
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bore — to tire
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a line of people
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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