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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. band — a music group
  7. staff — employees
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. sharp — clever
  16. cold — not warm
  17. bore — to drill
  18. band — a ring
  19. cold — an illness
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bore — to tire
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

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