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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. stem — to come from
  3. saw — the tool
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. object — an aim
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. cue — for pool
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. object — to protest
  12. fine — all right
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. fine — high quality
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. land — ground
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cue — a signal
  20. mine — for digging
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. object — a thing
  23. land — a country
  24. deal — to handle

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