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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. saw — the tool
  3. race — humankind
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. row — to paddle
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rock — a stone
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rock — music
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. row — a line
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. race — the arms race
  22. saw — the tool
  23. race — a contest
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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