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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  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 line of people
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. stem — to come from
  7. cap — of ice
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. ball — a dance
  10. chip — for betting
  11. cap — a hat
  12. march — the month
  13. ball — a great time
  14. march — the month
  15. cap — a lid
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. march — music
  18. file — a tool
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. chip — to eat
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. chip — in a computer
  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