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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. file — a tool
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. file — a document
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. file — a line of people
  14. date — the fruit
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. wake — a trail
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. deal — an agreement

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