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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: season · file · tear · stem · swing · ruler · root · game

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. game — wild animals
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. tear — to rip
  6. swing — in golf
  7. season — of the year
  8. file — a document
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. swing — to play on
  11. stem — to come from
  12. root — of a plant
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. file — a tool
  15. tear — from crying
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. root — the cause
  18. swing — music
  19. file — a line of people
  20. game — a match
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. season — in sport
  23. root — of a word
  24. tear — from crying

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