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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. field — farmland
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. ball — a great time
  6. stem — to come from
  7. row — to paddle
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. kid — child
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. ball — a dance
  12. field — a subject
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. field — for sport
  17. land — to come down
  18. row — a line
  19. kid — to tease
  20. dip — to sink
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. land — ground
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. safe — out of danger

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