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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  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. racket — a loud noise
  3. plane — a tool
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stock — shares
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. mug — a cup
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. foot — a measure
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. mug — to rob
  19. land — to come down
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. land — ground
  22. mug — a face
  23. stock — goods
  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