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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. root — the cause
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. root — of a plant
  6. land — to come down
  7. bound — certain
  8. land — a country
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. root — of a word
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. file — a line of people
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — size or range
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bound — obliged
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. wake — a trail
  21. land — ground
  22. bound — tied together
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. file — a document

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