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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. mark — a trace
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. tube — a container
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. mark — a grade
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. prune — to trim
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. prune — to trim
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stem — to come from
  24. calf — a young animal

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