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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. file — a document
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — music
  6. wind — moving air
  7. stem — to come from
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of a king
  16. rush — hurry
  17. file — a line of people
  18. court — of law
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. swing — in golf
  21. wind — moving air
  22. file — a tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. racket — for tennis

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