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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. chip — for betting
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. mine — for digging
  7. chest — a box
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. march — the month
  10. chest — of your body
  11. ground — the earth
  12. can — a tin
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — a position
  15. march — music
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. can — to be able to
  18. chip — to eat
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. chest — of your body
  22. can — a tin
  23. march — the month
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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