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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. clip — for paper
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. tear — from crying
  5. land — to come down
  6. clip — a video
  7. bound — obliged
  8. swing — music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — to come from
  12. bound — tied together
  13. key — the most important part
  14. tear — to rip
  15. craft — boats
  16. swing — in golf
  17. craft — a skill
  18. clip — to cut
  19. key — in music
  20. tear — from crying
  21. land — ground
  22. swing — to play on
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. bound — certain

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