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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. deal — to handle
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. land — a country
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. fork — in a road
  9. bound — certain
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. rock — music
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. bound — tied together
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. land — ground
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. rock — a stone
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a match
  21. bound — obliged
  22. land — to come down
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. stem — of a plant

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