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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. cold — not warm
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. suit — in cards
  5. land — ground
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. suit — to fit
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. board — to get on
  16. land — a country
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. suit — clothes
  20. wake — a trail
  21. cold — an illness
  22. land — to come down
  23. board — a committee
  24. pitcher — a jug

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