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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. fall — to drop
  4. file — a document
  5. object — to protest
  6. prune — to trim
  7. last — to go on
  8. file — a tool
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pit — a hole
  12. chair — a leader
  13. object — a thing
  14. last — final
  15. file — a line of people
  16. stem — to come from
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. pit — in a race
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. last — finally
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. fall — the season
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. fall — to drop

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