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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 124 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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. field — farmland
  11. roll — a cake
  12. file — a document
  13. wound — an injury
  14. fork — in a road
  15. field — for sport
  16. file — a line of people
  17. wound — an injury
  18. toast — bread
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. field — a subject
  21. stem — to come from
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. file — a tool

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