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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. last — finally
  4. ground — the earth
  5. file — a document
  6. club — for dancing
  7. march — the month
  8. last — to go on
  9. file — a line of people
  10. object — a thing
  11. march — the month
  12. object — to protest
  13. stem — to come from
  14. object — an aim
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. club — a group
  17. last — final
  18. ground — crushed
  19. bulb — for light
  20. march — music
  21. bulb — for light
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. club — for golf
  24. ground — a position

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