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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. cell — a phone
  5. bark — to shout
  6. file — a line of people
  7. firm — decided
  8. fork — in a road
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. kid — to tease
  11. firm — steady
  12. file — a document
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. kid — child
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. cell — in biology
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. file — a tool
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. rash — a series
  23. stem — to come from
  24. rash — hasty

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