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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. spell — magic
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bank — for money
  5. file — a line of people
  6. cold — an illness
  7. file — a tool
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. bank — of a river
  11. spell — letters
  12. stem — to come from
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. mark — a trace
  16. perch — the fish
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. cold — not warm
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bank — for money
  24. spell — a short time

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