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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 116 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. object — an aim
  5. sharp — clever
  6. stem — to come from
  7. tube — the underground
  8. land — a country
  9. object — to protest
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. swing — to play on
  12. land — to come down
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. swing — in golf
  15. object — a thing
  16. current — happening now
  17. swing — music
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. tube — a container
  21. current — of water
  22. current — electric
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. fan — to cool the 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