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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: cell · pit · rock · file · stick · bear

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. cell — a phone
  4. rock — a stone
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cell — in biology
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. file — a tool
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pit — a hole
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a document
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. pit — in a race
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. rock — music

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