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

Word bank: pit · saw · stem · rest · ground · land · shower · swing

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. swing — to play on
  3. rest — what's left
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. swing — music
  6. swing — in golf
  7. rest — a break
  8. land — a country
  9. saw — the tool
  10. land — to come down
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. ground — a position
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. land — ground
  17. ground — crushed
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. rest — what's left
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — rain
  22. stem — to come from
  23. pit — in a race
  24. ground — the earth

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