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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. stem — to come from
  3. rash — hasty
  4. file — a line of people
  5. band — a ring
  6. rash — a series
  7. roll — a list
  8. present — a gift
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. cap — a lid
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. file — a tool
  14. band — a music group
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. present — the time now
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. file — a document
  20. cap — a hat
  21. present — there
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. roll — a cake
  24. cap — of ice

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