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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. charge — electricity
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. charge — in control
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — a short time
  9. land — a country
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. ball — a great time
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. ball — a dance
  16. land — ground
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. mine — for digging
  19. land — to come down
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. charge — a price
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. trunk — of a car

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