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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bound — tied together
  3. rule — a law
  4. stem — to come from
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. wind — moving air
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — a series
  12. mine — for digging
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. rash — hasty
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bound — certain
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. rule — government
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. wind — moving air

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