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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. stem — to come from
  3. cap — a lid
  4. rule — government
  5. tear — to rip
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. pop — music
  8. tear — from crying
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. pop — soda
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cap — a hat
  15. plane — a tool
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. rule — a law
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. pop — to visit
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cap — of ice
  24. rule — to rule out

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