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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. bank — for money
  3. firm — steady
  4. bank — of a river
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — to come from
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. file — a tool
  10. firm — decided
  11. bank — for money
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. bat — the animal
  16. file — a document
  17. pass — a permit
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — in cards
  21. firm — a company
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. pass — to succeed

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