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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — to come down
  3. field — for sport
  4. land — ground
  5. field — farmland
  6. fine — all right
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. press — newspapers
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. field — a subject
  14. face — part of the head
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. press — to push
  17. fine — high quality
  18. band — a ring
  19. face — to confront
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. press — a publisher
  23. face — to point toward
  24. deal — to handle

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