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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. hand — in cards
  8. staff — employees
  9. rule — a law
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. shower — to wash
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. wake — a trail
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. shower — rain
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. hand — help

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