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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. staff — employees
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bank — for money
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wake — a trail
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bank — of a river
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. sharp — clever
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. wound — an injury
  19. staff — employees
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. bank — for money
  23. staff — a stick
  24. court — of law

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