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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 124 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 the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. fall — the season
  3. snap — to click
  4. fall — to drop
  5. cap — a lid
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a match
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. wax — to grow
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. cap — a hat
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stem — to come from
  24. cap — of ice

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