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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. spring — the season
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cap — of ice
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. staff — a stick
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. staff — employees
  9. cap — a lid
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. file — a line of people
  12. cap — a hat
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. file — a tool
  15. wake — a trail
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. stem — to come from
  18. rule — a law
  19. staff — employees
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. rule — government
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — a coil

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