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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. file — a document
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bark — to shout
  6. rule — a law
  7. capital — a city
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. cold — an illness
  12. file — a line of people
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. current — of water
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — electric
  18. rule — government
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. capital — money
  22. file — a tool
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. stem — of a plant

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