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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  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. stem — to come from
  2. scale — size or range
  3. court — of law
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bore — to tire
  6. scale — in music
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. court — for sport
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. shower — to wash
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. shower — rain
  15. court — of a king
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. bore — to drill
  20. capital — money
  21. cell — a phone
  22. capital — a city
  23. cell — in biology
  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