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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. land — ground
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. club — a group
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. land — a country
  9. club — for golf
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. club — for dancing
  12. land — to come down
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bank — for money
  19. snap — to click
  20. foot — a measure
  21. bank — for money
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bank — of a river

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