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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: land · ground · object · spring · cue · cell · saw · staff

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — a thing
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — a country
  5. ground — a position
  6. cell — a phone
  7. spring — of water
  8. saw — the tool
  9. ground — crushed
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — for pool
  14. ground — the earth
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. object — to protest
  19. spring — the season
  20. cue — a signal
  21. staff — employees
  22. saw — the tool
  23. land — ground
  24. spring — a coil

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