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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. spring — a coil
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mine — for digging
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. spring — of water
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. last — final
  12. fall — to drop
  13. spring — the season
  14. stem — to come from
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. fall — the season
  18. last — finally
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. kick — in football
  21. last — to go on
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. mine — an explosive

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