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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. cue — for pool
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a ring
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — to crush
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. cue — a signal
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. land — ground
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. land — to come down
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. bark — to shout
  17. net — after costs
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stem — to come from
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — in sport
  22. cue — a hint
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. band — a rubber band

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