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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  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. bound — certain
  2. chip — to eat
  3. club — for golf
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bound — obliged
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. object — a thing
  8. chip — for betting
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. ground — crushed
  13. object — to protest
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. club — for dancing
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bound — tied together
  18. stem — to come from
  19. object — an aim
  20. club — a group
  21. ground — the earth
  22. mine — for digging
  23. ground — a position
  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