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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. current — electric
  3. land — ground
  4. current — of water
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. present — the time now
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rule — government
  9. rule — a law
  10. land — to come down
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fall — to drop
  13. present — a gift
  14. saw — the tool
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — an amount
  17. stem — to come from
  18. fall — the season
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. current — happening now
  21. present — there
  22. degree — from a university
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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