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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. club — a group
  4. present — a gift
  5. land — a country
  6. mine — for digging
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. land — ground
  9. club — for golf
  10. fine — high quality
  11. object — to protest
  12. fine — all right
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. object — an aim
  15. present — the time now
  16. stem — to come from
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. club — for dancing
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. land — to come down
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. present — there

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