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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. last — finally
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. bank — for money
  6. last — to go on
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. last — final
  9. mate — a partner
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bank — of a river
  12. mate — to breed
  13. bank — for money
  14. cold — not warm
  15. stem — to come from
  16. file — a document
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bulb — for light
  22. can — a tin
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. file — a tool

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