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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. pop — to visit
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. saw — the tool
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. pop — music
  9. game — wild animals
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. land — ground
  12. game — a match
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. spring — of water
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. land — to come down
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. stem — to come from
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — the season
  24. pop — soda

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