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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. charge — in control
  3. land — to come down
  4. ground — a position
  5. deal — to handle
  6. charge — electricity
  7. ground — crushed
  8. land — ground
  9. stem — to come from
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — part of the head
  12. land — a country
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. ground — the earth
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. face — to point toward
  23. charge — a price
  24. bark — to shout

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