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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. current — electric
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. rule — government
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. drill — army training
  9. bat — the animal
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. land — ground
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. drill — the tool
  14. current — happening now
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. current — of water
  18. land — to come down
  19. rule — a law
  20. stem — to come from
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. land — a country
  24. stem — a stem cell

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