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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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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: stem · row · land · mouse · ruler · hand · charge · object

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. object — to protest
  3. hand — in cards
  4. land — to come down
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. charge — electricity
  8. object — an aim
  9. land — ground
  10. hand — help
  11. row — a line
  12. object — a thing
  13. charge — in control
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. stem — to come from
  17. charge — a price
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. row — to paddle
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. hand — part of the body

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