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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. land — to come down
  6. stem — to come from
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. perch — the fish
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. roll — a cake
  11. land — ground
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. roll — a list
  18. stem — a stem cell

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