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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. march — music
  3. stem — to come from
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. file — a tool
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. deal — to handle
  17. march — the month
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. file — a line of people
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. prune — to trim
  24. march — the month

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