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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. saw — the tool
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. firm — steady
  7. land — ground
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. firm — a company
  14. perch — the fish
  15. wax — to grow
  16. firm — decided
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pass — a permit
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. saw — the tool
  22. land — to come down
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. stem — to come from

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