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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 120 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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. race — the arms race
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bore — to tire
  12. wound — an injury
  13. race — humankind
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. file — a document
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. race — a contest
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bore — to drill
  21. wound — an injury
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. lean — thin
  24. file — a line of people

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