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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stem — to come from
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. ground — a position
  5. file — a document
  6. ground — the earth
  7. file — a line of people
  8. ground — crushed
  9. lean — thin
  10. file — a tool
  11. squash — to crush
  12. staff — employees
  13. lean — to bend
  14. staff — a stick
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bass — low music
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. bound — certain
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. squash — the sport
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bass — the instrument

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