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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  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. stem — of a plant
  2. net — in sport
  3. fine — high quality
  4. file — a line of people
  5. dip — to sink
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cold — not warm
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — to come from
  11. cold — an illness
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. file — a tool
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. net — after costs
  22. fine — all right
  23. net — for catching
  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