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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 124 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. fall — the season
  3. ground — crushed
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. ground — a position
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. lean — thin
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. lean — to bend
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. land — a country
  14. land — to come down
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — to come from
  19. fall — to drop
  20. rule — government
  21. ground — the earth
  22. fall — to drop
  23. land — ground
  24. bowl — to roll

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