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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. land — a country
  4. bank — of a river
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bank — for money
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. land — to come down
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. bank — for money
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. fine — high quality
  16. game — a match
  17. fine — all right
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. land — ground
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — to come from
  24. game — wild animals

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