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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. mine — for digging
  5. land — ground
  6. bound — obliged
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bound — tied together
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. stem — to come from
  11. fall — to drop
  12. roll — a list
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. ball — a dance
  15. bound — certain
  16. fall — the season
  17. roll — a cake
  18. ball — a great time
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. land — a country
  23. fall — to drop
  24. land — to come down

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