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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — ground
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. club — for dancing
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. lean — to bend
  7. stock — goods
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. plane — a tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. lean — thin
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. club — a group
  21. club — for golf
  22. land — to come down
  23. stem — to come from
  24. saw — the tool

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