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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. last — to go on
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. object — an aim
  8. bear — the animal
  9. object — a thing
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. last — finally
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. object — to protest
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. last — final
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — a practice
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bear — the animal
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. ruler — for measuring

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