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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. wound — an injury
  5. content — happy
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. fine — all right
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. bound — tied together
  10. stem — to come from
  11. suit — in cards
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. land — to come down
  15. bound — certain
  16. fine — high quality
  17. content — the amount
  18. wound — an injury
  19. land — ground
  20. suit — clothes
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bound — obliged
  24. suit — to fit

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