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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. last — to go on
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bank — for money
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. chest — a box
  10. last — final
  11. degree — an amount
  12. stem — to come from
  13. bank — for money
  14. degree — from a university
  15. mark — a grade
  16. chest — of your body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. land — to come down
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. land — ground
  21. bank — of a river
  22. degree — temperature
  23. chest — of your body
  24. last — finally

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