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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. cold — not warm
  4. fine — high quality
  5. mug — a face
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. mug — to rob
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. mug — a cup
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. plane — a tool
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. cold — an illness

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