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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. prune — to trim
  5. drill — the tool
  6. band — a music group
  7. land — ground
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. can — a tin
  12. rash — hasty
  13. season — in sport
  14. land — to come down
  15. prune — to trim
  16. can — a tin
  17. drill — a practice
  18. band — a ring
  19. stem — to come from
  20. drill — army training
  21. season — of the year
  22. rash — a series
  23. can — to be able to
  24. stem — of a plant

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