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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. file — a tool
  3. object — to protest
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. object — an aim
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. deal — to handle
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. cold — not warm
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. stem — to come from
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. file — a line of people
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. cold — an illness
  17. file — a document
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. object — a thing
  20. bat — the animal
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. hide — to keep secret

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