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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 116 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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. land — a country
  3. fall — to drop
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. cap — of ice
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. cap — a lid
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mark — a trace
  13. land — to come down
  14. cap — a hat
  15. land — ground
  16. mark — a grade
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. fall — to drop
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. fall — the season

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