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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. rock — a stone
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stem — to come from
  6. land — a country
  7. land — to come down
  8. face — to confront
  9. stock — goods
  10. face — part of the head
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. rock — music
  14. stock — shares
  15. face — to point toward
  16. spell — magic
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. spell — letters
  21. land — ground
  22. spell — a short time
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. saw — the tool

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