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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 124 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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. file — a tool
  3. band — a ring
  4. roll — a cake
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. ground — the earth
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. staff — employees
  9. file — a document
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. ground — a position
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. band — a music group
  17. staff — a stick
  18. bulb — for light
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. roll — a list
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stem — to come from
  24. ground — crushed

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