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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. stem — to come from
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. track — a path
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. mine — for digging
  10. file — a line of people
  11. pop — to visit
  12. file — a document
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. file — a tool
  15. track — a song
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. track — to keep track
  18. mug — a cup
  19. pop — music
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mug — a face
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. pop — soda

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