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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. tube — a container
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. club — for dancing
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mark — a trace
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. tube — the underground
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. stem — to come from
  15. board — a committee
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mark — a grade
  18. land — a country
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. board — to get on
  21. land — to come down
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. club — a group
  24. club — for golf

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