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

Word bank: stem · rush · band · pit · ground · roll · rock · land

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. ground — a position
  4. pit — in a race
  5. land — ground
  6. ground — the earth
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. rock — a stone
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pit — a hole
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. land — to come down
  14. band — a music group
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. band — a ring
  17. ground — crushed
  18. roll — a list
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rock — music
  23. roll — a cake
  24. stem — to come from

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