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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. mug — a cup
  4. hand — in cards
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a line of people
  7. rest — what's left
  8. hand — help
  9. file — a tool
  10. stem — to come from
  11. mug — a face
  12. rush — hurry
  13. mug — to rob
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. rest — a break
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. foot — a measure
  21. mark — a trace
  22. rest — what's left
  23. mark — a grade
  24. hand — part of the body

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