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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — a weight
  4. file — a line of people
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. row — a line
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. wake — a trail
  9. stem — to come from
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. saw — the tool
  12. row — to paddle
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. lean — thin
  15. file — a tool
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. file — a document
  21. saw — the tool
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. ruler — a monarch

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