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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. saw — the tool
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a tool
  6. spring — of water
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. tube — the underground
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. snap — to click
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. spring — a coil
  14. tube — a container
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stand — to bear
  20. spring — the season
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. file — a line of people
  23. game — wild animals
  24. saw — the tool

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