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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. land — to come down
  3. object — to protest
  4. object — an aim
  5. face — to confront
  6. pop — soda
  7. land — a country
  8. land — ground
  9. pop — music
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. face — part of the head
  12. saw — the tool
  13. face — to point toward
  14. saw — the tool
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tube — the underground
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pop — to visit
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. tube — a container
  21. object — a thing
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. stem — to come from
  24. jam — a tight spot

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