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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. stem — to come from
  3. mug — a face
  4. rock — music
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. mug — to rob
  8. object — an aim
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. net — for catching
  11. snap — to click
  12. file — a line of people
  13. net — after costs
  14. object — a thing
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. mug — a cup
  18. net — in sport
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. file — a tool
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. file — a document
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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