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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. track — a song
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. track — a path
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. land — ground
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. staff — employees
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. land — a country
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. land — to come down
  16. staff — a stick
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. stem — to come from
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — for light
  23. track — to keep track
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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