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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. chip — for betting
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — a coil
  8. land — to come down
  9. bound — tied together
  10. chip — to eat
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bound — obliged
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — to come from
  17. spring — of water
  18. current — of water
  19. bound — certain
  20. current — electric
  21. land — ground
  22. land — a country
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. current — happening now

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