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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 120 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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. tear — from crying
  3. land — to come down
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. tear — from crying
  10. staff — employees
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. tear — to rip
  13. stem — to come from
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. staff — employees
  16. wind — moving air
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. land — ground
  19. wind — moving air
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. pound — a weight
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. staff — a stick

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