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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 120 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. land — ground
  3. fall — to drop
  4. chip — to eat
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. craft — a skill
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. fall — the season
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. land — a country
  11. snap — to click
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. land — to come down
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. craft — boats
  21. wound — an injury
  22. chip — for betting
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. fall — to drop

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