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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. land — a country
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. season — of the year
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. lean — thin
  12. sharp — clever
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. deal — to handle
  17. land — to come down
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. pound — a weight
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. lean — to bend
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. season — in sport

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