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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. stem — to come from
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. pass — a permit
  9. band — a ring
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. spring — the season
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. wake — a trail
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. band — a music group
  18. spring — a coil
  19. foot — a measure
  20. spring — of water
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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