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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. land — to come down
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. file — a tool
  9. mine — for digging
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. file — a document
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. land — ground
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. stem — to come from
  24. land — a country

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