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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. file — a line of people
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. date — the fruit
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — to come from
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — a series
  11. rest — a break
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. spell — letters
  15. rest — what's left
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. rest — what's left
  18. file — a document
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. kick — in football
  21. file — a tool
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — a short time

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