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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. kid — to tease
  3. craft — boats
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. last — to go on
  7. object — a thing
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — a skill
  10. stem — to come from
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a document
  13. mine — for digging
  14. last — finally
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. object — to protest
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. object — an aim
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. kid — child
  23. last — final
  24. mine — belonging to me

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