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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. land — ground
  3. land — to come down
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — the tool
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — to come from
  11. last — final
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. land — a country
  14. charge — a price
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. wax — to grow
  18. drill — army training
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. charge — in control
  22. last — to go on
  23. charge — electricity
  24. patient — a sick person

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