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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. file — a tool
  3. file — a line of people
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. rock — a stone
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bear — the animal
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. spring — a coil
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. bear — the animal
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. stem — to come from
  18. spring — the season
  19. row — a line
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. rock — music
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. spring — of water
  24. trunk — of a tree

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