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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: rule · rock · dip · net · object · stem · land · last

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. last — to go on
  3. object — an aim
  4. stem — to come from
  5. land — ground
  6. net — after costs
  7. object — a thing
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. rule — government
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. rock — music
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. object — to protest
  15. net — in sport
  16. rule — a law
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. last — final
  19. net — for catching
  20. land — to come down
  21. dip — to sink
  22. last — finally
  23. land — a country
  24. rock — a stone

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