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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stem — to come from
  4. land — ground
  5. bear — the animal
  6. march — the month
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. press — to push
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. press — a publisher
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. land — to come down
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bear — the animal
  18. march — the month
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. march — music
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. toast — bread
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a football final

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