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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. file — a document
  3. fall — to drop
  4. file — a line of people
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. spell — letters
  7. rest — a break
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. spell — magic
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — a weight
  13. rest — what's left
  14. stem — to come from
  15. spell — a short time
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rest — what's left
  19. file — a tool
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. fall — the season
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. fall — to drop
  24. stem — a stem cell

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