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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. land — ground
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. rule — a law
  9. rash — hasty
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. rash — a series
  12. band — a music group
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — all right
  18. stock — shares
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. stock — goods
  21. land — a country
  22. rule — government
  23. band — a ring
  24. stem — to come from

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