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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — for digging
  3. game — wild animals
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. stand — to bear
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — to come from
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chip — for betting
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. game — a match

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