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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. rule — government
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. branch — a division
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. rule — a law
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. land — ground
  12. ground — a position
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. ground — crushed
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. stem — to come from
  17. cell — a phone
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. cell — in biology
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. ground — the earth
  23. land — a country
  24. mouse — the animal

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