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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. lean — thin
  5. last — to go on
  6. mug — a face
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bore — to tire
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. stem — to come from
  11. mug — a cup
  12. last — final
  13. spring — the season
  14. last — finally
  15. spring — of water
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. court — of a king
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. court — of law
  21. court — for sport
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bore — to drill

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