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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 116 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: ruler · wound · land · file · mark · drill · stem · saw

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mark — a trace
  3. land — ground
  4. wound — an injury
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — a country
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. stem — to come from
  10. file — a document
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. saw — the tool
  14. drill — the tool
  15. mark — a grade
  16. file — a line of people
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. drill — a practice
  20. file — a tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. drill — army training

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