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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. capital — money
  7. land — to come down
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bound — obliged
  11. wake — a trail
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stem — to come from
  14. fall — the season
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. fall — to drop
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bound — tied together
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. capital — a city
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. land — ground
  24. land — a country

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