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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. rush — hurry
  5. face — part of the head
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. file — a line of people
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — to come from
  12. face — to point toward
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a great time
  20. face — to confront
  21. file — a document
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. temple — side of the head

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