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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bore — to tire
  3. charge — electricity
  4. land — to come down
  5. club — for golf
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. land — ground
  8. plane — a tool
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. club — a group
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bore — to drill
  13. charge — a price
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. club — for dancing
  17. land — a country
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. charge — in control
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. pitcher — a jug

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