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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a line of people
  3. hand — help
  4. dip — to sink
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. bound — obliged
  7. stem — to come from
  8. file — a document
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. suit — in cards
  11. hand — in cards
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. land — a country
  15. suit — to fit
  16. bound — tied together
  17. cold — an illness
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. land — ground
  20. land — to come down
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. cold — not warm
  23. suit — clothes
  24. bound — certain

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