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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. stem — to come from
  6. file — a document
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. field — for sport
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. stock — goods
  14. file — a line of people
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. field — farmland
  17. lie — to recline
  18. bear — the animal
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bear — the animal
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. field — a subject
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. stock — shares

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