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

Word bank: ruler · stem · kid · stick · wind · squash

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. squash — the sport
  3. wind — moving air
  4. squash — to crush
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. wind — moving air
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — to tease
  17. stem — to come from
  18. ruler — for measuring

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