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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. file — a document
  5. key — in music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. rash — hasty
  8. stem — to come from
  9. file — a line of people
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bulb — for light
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. date — the fruit
  16. file — a tool
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. rash — a series
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. key — the most important part
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bulb — for light
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. foot — a measure

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