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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 120 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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. land — a country
  5. ground — crushed
  6. band — a music group
  7. ground — a position
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. band — a ring
  12. suit — clothes
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. stem — to come from
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. suit — in cards
  21. suit — to fit
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — ground
  24. ground — the earth

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