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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. spring — the season
  5. current — of water
  6. bulb — for light
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. current — electric
  9. land — to come down
  10. bulb — for light
  11. spring — a coil
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. spring — of water
  16. land — ground
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. toast — bread
  19. rest — what's left
  20. current — happening now
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. stem — to come from
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. stem — a stem cell

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