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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bark — to shout
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. file — a line of people
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. rash — a series
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. file — a tool
  11. rash — hasty
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. current — happening now
  14. plane — a tool
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. current — of water
  19. pit — a hole
  20. current — electric
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. file — a document
  24. stem — to come from

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