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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: rule · stem · game · tear · foot · mine · drill · band

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. drill — the tool
  4. rule — government
  5. game — wild animals
  6. band — a music group
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. tear — to rip
  9. rule — a law
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. band — a ring
  12. stem — to come from
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. drill — a practice
  16. mine — for digging
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. drill — army training
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — a match
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. foot — the bottom

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