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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. stem — to come from
  5. object — an aim
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. drill — a practice
  8. object — to protest
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mug — to rob
  11. present — a gift
  12. mug — a face
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. present — the time now
  17. present — there
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. mug — a cup
  20. drill — the tool
  21. object — a thing
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. mine — for digging

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