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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. stem — to come from
  4. wind — moving air
  5. last — final
  6. last — finally
  7. last — to go on
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. land — a country
  10. wind — moving air
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — hasty
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. land — ground
  17. spring — a coil
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. spring — the season
  20. rash — a series
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. land — to come down
  24. spring — of water

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