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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. bound — tied together
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. land — a country
  5. bound — certain
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. land — ground
  8. content — the amount
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — soda
  11. cell — in biology
  12. wind — moving air
  13. staff — employees
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bound — obliged
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. pop — to visit
  18. content — happy
  19. cell — a phone
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. wind — moving air
  24. land — to come down

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