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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. cold — not warm
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. present — a gift
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. cold — an illness
  9. pit — in a race
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — a stick
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. file — a document
  15. stem — to come from
  16. staff — employees
  17. pit — a hole
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. file — a line of people
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. file — a tool
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. present — there

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