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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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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: stem · file · racket · bear · tear · cell · spring · hide

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. cell — a phone
  3. stem — to come from
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. file — a document
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bear — the animal
  8. spring — of water
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. file — a tool
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. spring — the season
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bear — the animal
  21. spring — a coil
  22. tear — from crying
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. tear — to rip

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