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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  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. land — ground
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. mine — for digging
  7. land — a country
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. tube — the underground
  11. rock — music
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. tube — a container
  14. rest — what's left
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rock — a stone
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. stem — to come from
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. land — to come down
  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