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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: drill · stem · kick · wind · hand · rule

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. 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. kick — in football
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. hand — in cards
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — government
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. drill — a practice
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rule — a law
  13. drill — the tool
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. drill — army training
  16. stem — to come from
  17. wind — moving air
  18. 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