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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. scale — in music
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. land — ground
  8. season — of the year
  9. bank — of a river
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. bank — for money
  12. bound — certain
  13. land — a country
  14. season — in sport
  15. current — happening now
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. scale — size or range
  18. bank — for money
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — to come from
  21. current — electric
  22. bound — tied together
  23. current — of water
  24. bound — obliged

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