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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. land — a country
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. land — ground
  5. current — electric
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. current — happening now
  8. current — of water
  9. cold — an illness
  10. stem — to come from
  11. tube — the underground
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. deal — to handle
  14. cold — not warm
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. land — to come down
  19. tube — a container
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. saw — the tool
  24. vault — a safe

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