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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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Word bank
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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: capital · spring · ruler · file · branch · game · stem · rush

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. spring — the season
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. game — a match
  7. rush — hurry
  8. stem — to come from
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. capital — a city
  11. branch — a division
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. file — a document
  14. game — wild animals
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. file — a line of people
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. file — a tool
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — of water
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. capital — money
  24. ruler — a monarch

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