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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 120 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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. saw — the tool
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cell — in biology
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. cell — a phone
  7. present — the time now
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. present — a gift
  10. saw — the tool
  11. file — a tool
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — a trail
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. file — a line of people
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. present — there
  24. stem — to come from

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