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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pop — soda
  4. pop — music
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cell — a phone
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. cell — in biology
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. pop — to visit
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. snap — to click
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. charge — in control
  19. file — a line of people
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. file — a document
  22. charge — electricity
  23. charge — a price
  24. hide — animal skin

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