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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 116 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. mark — a trace
  4. land — to come down
  5. face — to confront
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. face — part of the head
  8. face — to point toward
  9. mark — a grade
  10. stem — to come from
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. rule — government
  13. land — a country
  14. rule — a law
  15. race — the arms race
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. race — a contest
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. race — humankind
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. wax — to grow

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