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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. spell — a short time
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. root — the cause
  8. spell — magic
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. rash — hasty
  12. band — a ring
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. lie — to recline
  16. file — a tool
  17. spell — letters
  18. root — of a plant
  19. saw — the tool
  20. root — of a word
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. rash — a series
  23. saw — the tool
  24. file — a line of people

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