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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. land — to come down
  6. last — finally
  7. bulb — for light
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. land — ground
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. capital — a city
  14. game — a match
  15. capital — money
  16. land — a country
  17. bulb — for light
  18. game — wild animals
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. last — to go on
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. last — final
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — hasty

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