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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a tool
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. saw — the tool
  6. degree — from a university
  7. root — of a plant
  8. rash — a series
  9. root — the cause
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. saw — the tool
  12. root — of a word
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — temperature
  16. file — a document
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. rash — hasty
  20. squash — the sport
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. rash — on the skin

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