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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. file — a tool
  3. staff — employees
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wind — moving air
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a line of people
  8. bore — to drill
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. stem — to come from
  11. capital — money
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. wind — moving air
  15. perch — the fish
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. capital — a city
  18. staff — employees
  19. bore — to tire
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. ball — a great time
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. ball — a dance

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