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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. wound — an injury
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. snap — to click
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. object — an aim
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. object — a thing
  13. object — to protest
  14. stem — to come from
  15. band — a music group
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — newspapers
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. mark — a grade
  21. press — to push
  22. band — a ring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. wound — an injury

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