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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. land — ground
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. tube — the underground
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. land — to come down
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rock — music
  17. land — a country
  18. pound — a weight
  19. tube — a container
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. rock — a stone
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. perch — the fish

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