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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. vault — a safe
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bass — low music
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. file — a line of people
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. file — a tool
  16. cold — not warm
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. cold — an illness
  20. stem — to come from
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. bass — the fish
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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