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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. wax — to grow
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. plane — a tool
  8. race — the arms race
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. race — a contest
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. clip — for paper
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wound — an injury
  18. clip — a video
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. pitch — completely
  21. race — humankind
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. clip — to cut
  24. stem — to come from

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