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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. rest — what's left
  3. land — a country
  4. kid — to tease
  5. mug — a face
  6. rash — a series
  7. rest — what's left
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. stem — to come from
  11. mug — to rob
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. land — ground
  16. rest — a break
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. mug — a cup
  19. rash — hasty
  20. kid — child
  21. land — to come down
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. stem — of a plant
  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