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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. deal — to handle
  5. wake — a trail
  6. stem — to come from
  7. drill — the tool
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. game — a match
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. drill — a practice
  14. game — wild animals
  15. drill — army training
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. nail — for a hammer

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