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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. club — for dancing
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. ground — crushed
  6. club — a group
  7. perch — the fish
  8. present — the time now
  9. club — for golf
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. land — a country
  12. land — to come down
  13. stem — to come from
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. land — ground
  16. deal — to handle
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. present — there
  19. ground — the earth
  20. present — a gift
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. ground — a position

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