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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. stem — to come from
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. cell — in biology
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. bark — to shout
  12. mate — to breed
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mate — a friend
  15. band — a music group
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. wake — a trail
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. mate — a partner
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. cell — a phone
  24. band — a ring

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