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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. spring — of water
  4. degree — an amount
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. pop — to visit
  7. spring — the season
  8. degree — temperature
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. wake — a trail
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — to come from
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. pop — music
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. pop — soda
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. rock — music
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. degree — from a university
  22. spring — a coil
  23. rock — a stone
  24. ruler — for measuring

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