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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 116 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. last — finally
  3. land — to come down
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. land — a country
  6. last — to go on
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. object — a thing
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. ground — the earth
  11. object — an aim
  12. object — to protest
  13. stem — to come from
  14. land — ground
  15. last — final
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — a position
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. kid — to tease
  24. leaves — of a tree

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