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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. object — to protest
  3. mine — for digging
  4. rest — what's left
  5. object — an aim
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. file — a line of people
  8. stem — to come from
  9. rest — what's left
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. plane — a tool
  12. sharp — clever
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. rest — a break
  16. file — a tool
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bass — low music
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. object — a thing
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bass — the fish
  24. mine — an explosive

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