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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. object — a thing
  4. object — to protest
  5. degree — an amount
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — to wash
  8. degree — from a university
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. craft — a skill
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. file — a document
  14. craft — boats
  15. degree — temperature
  16. key — the most important part
  17. stem — to come from
  18. file — a tool
  19. key — for a lock
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. key — in music
  22. object — an aim
  23. shower — rain
  24. craft — a handicraft

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