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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. bore — to tire
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. rule — a law
  7. wax — to grow
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. board — to get on
  10. row — to paddle
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bore — to drill
  13. row — a line
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. stem — to come from
  16. cold — an illness
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. cold — not warm
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — a committee
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. dip — to sink

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