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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. cap — a hat
  3. file — a document
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. cap — of ice
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. object — a thing
  8. object — to protest
  9. cap — a lid
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. object — an aim
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. file — a tool
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. land — a country
  16. stem — to come from
  17. land — ground
  18. land — to come down
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. spell — a short time
  22. file — a line of people
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. spell — letters

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