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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  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. file — a tool
  2. roll — a list
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. roll — a cake
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. file — a document
  10. net — in sport
  11. kick — in football
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. mark — a trace
  14. tube — the underground
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. stem — to come from
  20. mark — a grade
  21. file — a line of people
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — for catching
  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