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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. stem — to come from
  8. fine — all right
  9. spring — of water
  10. saw — the tool
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. saw — the tool
  13. row — to paddle
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. race — a contest
  16. race — humankind
  17. dip — to sink
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. race — the arms race
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — a coil
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — of a plant

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