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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 116 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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. fall — the season
  3. cap — of ice
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — a country
  7. land — ground
  8. chip — to eat
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. content — happy
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. fall — to drop
  13. content — the amount
  14. chip — for betting
  15. cap — a lid
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. cap — a hat
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. stem — to come from
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. fall — to drop

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