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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. club — for dancing
  3. stem — to come from
  4. club — for golf
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. rush — hurry
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. press — to push
  9. hand — help
  10. wound — an injury
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. press — a publisher
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. club — a group
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. hand — in cards
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. press — newspapers
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. ruler — a monarch

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