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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. wound — an injury
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. march — the month
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. march — music
  14. wound — an injury
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. march — the month
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. drill — a practice
  23. dip — to sink
  24. drill — army training

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