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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 120 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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rash — hasty
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. land — a country
  7. present — there
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. present — a gift
  10. rash — a series
  11. stem — to come from
  12. mark — a trace
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rock — music
  16. mark — a grade
  17. perch — the fish
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. land — to come down
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. rock — a stone
  24. present — the time now

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