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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  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. hand — in cards
  2. land — a country
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — a publisher
  7. hand — help
  8. stem — to come from
  9. land — ground
  10. rash — a series
  11. current — electric
  12. land — to come down
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. current — of water
  15. press — to push
  16. rash — hasty
  17. current — happening now
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. race — the arms race
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. race — humankind
  22. race — a contest
  23. perch — the fish
  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