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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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. calf — of the leg
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. kid — to tease
  10. land — ground
  11. degree — from a university
  12. object — to protest
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. degree — temperature
  15. land — to come down
  16. degree — an amount
  17. object — an aim
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stem — to come from
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. object — a thing
  24. kid — child

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