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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a document
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. pass — a permit
  6. rest — what's left
  7. club — for golf
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. rest — what's left
  11. field — farmland
  12. stem — to come from
  13. spell — a short time
  14. club — for dancing
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. rest — a break
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. spell — letters
  19. file — a tool
  20. kid — to tease
  21. club — a group
  22. spell — magic
  23. kid — child
  24. stem — a stem cell

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