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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — ground
  3. stem — to come from
  4. ground — the earth
  5. drill — army training
  6. staff — employees
  7. land — a country
  8. mug — a cup
  9. roll — a cake
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. mug — to rob
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. roll — a list
  14. ground — a position
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. mug — a face
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. staff — employees
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. ground — crushed
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. staff — a stick

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