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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. march — the month
  3. chair — a leader
  4. bank — for money
  5. land — ground
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bank — for money
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. rush — hurry
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. march — music
  14. land — to come down
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. race — the arms race
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. race — a contest
  20. march — the month
  21. bank — of a river
  22. saw — the tool
  23. race — humankind
  24. stem — a stem cell

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