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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. snap — to click
  3. bound — tied together
  4. lie — to recline
  5. land — to come down
  6. craft — a skill
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. cap — of ice
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. bound — certain
  11. land — ground
  12. cap — a hat
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. stem — to come from
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. craft — boats
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. bound — obliged
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cap — a lid

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