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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 120 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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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 document
  3. mate — a friend
  4. land — a country
  5. mate — to breed
  6. drill — army training
  7. object — a thing
  8. file — a tool
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. file — a line of people
  11. object — an aim
  12. branch — a division
  13. rash — a series
  14. object — to protest
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. stem — to come from
  17. land — ground
  18. land — to come down
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. drill — a practice
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. drill — the tool
  24. mate — a partner

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