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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. track — a song
  3. track — to keep track
  4. current — happening now
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. current — of water
  10. root — of a plant
  11. season — in sport
  12. track — a path
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. file — a document
  15. root — the cause
  16. stem — to come from
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. current — electric
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. root — of a word
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. dip — to sink
  24. file — a line of people

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