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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. band — a music group
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rule — a law
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. rule — government
  10. fine — all right
  11. band — a ring
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. mine — for digging
  17. staff — employees
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. staff — a stick
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — of a plant

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