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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. land — a country
  3. stem — to come from
  4. bound — tied together
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — from a university
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pound — a weight
  10. chip — for betting
  11. bound — certain
  12. chip — to eat
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. degree — an amount
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. land — ground
  19. spring — a coil
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. land — to come down
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — of water
  24. cabinet — ministers

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