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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hide · file · fall · kick · root · cell

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. kick — in football
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. file — a document
  5. fall — the season
  6. root — the cause
  7. root — of a word
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. cell — a phone
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. file — a line of people
  13. fall — to drop
  14. file — a tool
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. root — of a plant
  17. fall — to drop
  18. cell — in biology

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