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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. bulb — for light
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. current — of water
  6. fine — high quality
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. fine — all right
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. land — ground
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. current — happening now
  13. capital — money
  14. stem — to come from
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. current — electric
  19. land — a country
  20. capital — a city
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. land — to come down
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. bulb — for light

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