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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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. land — ground
  4. stand — to bear
  5. press — a publisher
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. kid — to tease
  10. press — newspapers
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. land — to come down
  14. stock — goods
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. press — to push
  19. mine — for digging
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. kid — child
  24. stock — shares

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