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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. file — a tool
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. file — a document
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. season — of the year
  12. file — a line of people
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. staff — employees
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bound — tied together
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — certain
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. pound — a weight
  23. season — in sport
  24. stem — to come from

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