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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. cold — an illness
  3. plane — a tool
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. spring — of water
  6. cold — not warm
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. mug — a cup
  9. spring — a coil
  10. band — a music group
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. spring — the season
  13. present — there
  14. present — a gift
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. band — a ring
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. mug — to rob
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. present — the time now
  22. mug — a face
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. cold — the Cold War

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