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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. file — a line of people
  3. clip — for paper
  4. mark — a trace
  5. stem — to come from
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. current — happening now
  8. current — electric
  9. file — a tool
  10. clip — to cut
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. mark — a grade
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. wax — to grow
  18. clip — a video
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. current — of water
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. file — a document

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