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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: file · clip · object · mine · cabinet · stem · root · hide

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. root — of a plant
  4. file — a line of people
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. root — the cause
  7. object — to protest
  8. clip — to cut
  9. object — a thing
  10. file — a tool
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. object — an aim
  14. mine — for digging
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. root — of a word
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. clip — for paper
  19. file — a document
  20. stem — to come from
  21. clip — a video
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. hide — to keep secret

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