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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 116 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a document
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. tear — from crying
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. staff — employees
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. land — ground
  15. tear — to rip
  16. stem — to come from
  17. lie — to recline
  18. tear — from crying
  19. staff — a stick
  20. file — a tool
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. land — a country
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. staff — employees

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