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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. field — a subject
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. stem — to come from
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — of ice
  10. charge — in control
  11. cap — a lid
  12. land — to come down
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. charge — a price
  15. wake — a trail
  16. field — for sport
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. wound — an injury
  19. land — ground
  20. charge — electricity
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wound — an injury
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. field — farmland

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