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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. file — a tool
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cap — a lid
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. cap — a hat
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. stem — to come from
  12. firm — steady
  13. rest — a break
  14. file — a document
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. file — a line of people
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. rest — what's left
  21. prune — to trim
  22. firm — a company
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. rest — what's left

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