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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. file — a line of people
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — a group
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. file — a document
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. bulb — for light
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. file — a tool
  15. land — ground
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. land — to come down
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. stem — to come from
  20. cold — an illness
  21. club — for dancing
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bulb — for light

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