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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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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. saw — the tool
  3. drill — a practice
  4. game — wild animals
  5. saw — the tool
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. pass — a permit
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. game — a match
  13. stem — to come from
  14. drill — the tool
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. drill — army training
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. branch — a division
  24. row — to paddle

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