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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: squash · fall · fine · wake · stem · land · racket · pitcher

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. fine — high quality
  3. land — to come down
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. stem — to come from
  10. land — ground
  11. fall — the season
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. wake — a trail
  14. squash — the sport
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fall — to drop
  18. squash — to crush
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. fine — all right
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. squash — the vegetable

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