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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: wound · cabinet · stem · land · mine · suit · cold · stick

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. land — a country
  3. stem — to come from
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — not warm
  10. land — to come down
  11. mine — for digging
  12. suit — in cards
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. wound — an injury
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. suit — to fit
  23. suit — clothes
  24. land — ground

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