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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. charge — electricity
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — to come from
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. kid — to tease
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a hat
  10. charge — in control
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. charge — a price
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a line of people
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. cap — a lid
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bank — for money
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. kid — child

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