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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. file — a line of people
  4. chest — of your body
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. pound — a weight
  7. spell — letters
  8. charge — in control
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. file — a document
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — a position
  13. charge — electricity
  14. chest — of your body
  15. spell — magic
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. file — a tool
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. ground — the earth
  22. charge — a price
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. chest — a box

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