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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a line of people
  3. prune — to trim
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. stem — to come from
  6. present — a gift
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. present — the time now
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. file — a document
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. present — there
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wake — a trail
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. prune — to trim

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