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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  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. leaves — of a tree
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kid — child
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a tool
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. root — of a word
  10. wound — an injury
  11. ground — a position
  12. root — of a plant
  13. kid — to tease
  14. ground — the earth
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. ground — crushed
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. root — the cause
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. pit — in a race
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pit — a hole
  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