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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 116 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 would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. object — to protest
  3. sharp — clever
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. land — ground
  6. object — a thing
  7. file — a line of people
  8. pound — a weight
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. object — an aim
  11. clip — to cut
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. clip — a video
  14. land — a country
  15. clip — for paper
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — to come from
  22. file — a tool
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. land — to come down

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