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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. net — for catching
  3. fine — all right
  4. land — a country
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. net — in sport
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. press — to push
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. land — to come down
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. perch — the fish
  13. press — newspapers
  14. press — a publisher
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. staff — a stick
  19. land — ground
  20. saw — the tool
  21. stem — to come from
  22. net — after costs
  23. fine — high quality
  24. staff — employees

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