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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 120 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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. land — ground
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. drill — army training
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — to come from
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. stand — to bear
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. row — a line
  12. rock — a stone
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. land — a country
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. land — to come down
  19. row — to paddle
  20. drill — a practice
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. drill — the tool
  23. deal — to handle
  24. rock — music

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