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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. cue — a hint
  5. file — a line of people
  6. cue — a signal
  7. mate — a friend
  8. stem — to come from
  9. cue — for pool
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. mate — to breed
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. mine — for digging
  17. file — a tool
  18. mate — a partner
  19. rest — a break
  20. rest — what's left
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. rest — what's left
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. mine — an explosive

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