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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. wound — an injury
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. chair — a leader
  6. file — a tool
  7. file — a document
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — for light
  10. date — the fruit
  11. file — a line of people
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. spring — a coil
  14. mug — a face
  15. wound — an injury
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. mug — to rob
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — of water
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. mug — a cup
  24. chair — a professorship

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