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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: land · mine · foot · rock · face · clip · stem · bore

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. stem — to come from
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bore — to drill
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. land — a country
  7. rock — music
  8. clip — a video
  9. land — to come down
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. clip — to cut
  12. face — to confront
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. mine — for digging
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. land — ground
  18. face — to point toward
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. foot — a measure
  21. bore — to tire
  22. face — part of the head
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. stem — of a plant

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