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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. pass — a permit
  5. stem — to come from
  6. march — the month
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. current — of water
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. current — electric
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. lean — to bend
  19. current — happening now
  20. land — ground
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. land — to come down
  24. lean — thin

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