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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. row — to paddle
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. saw — the tool
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. clip — to cut
  7. rest — what's left
  8. row — a line
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. clip — for paper
  11. stem — to come from
  12. clip — a video
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. rest — a break
  15. file — a tool
  16. rest — what's left
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a document
  19. saw — the tool
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. tube — a container
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. tube — the underground
  24. stem — a stem cell

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