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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: lie · dip · stem · row · arm · wind · ruler · cell

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wind — moving air
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. dip — to sink
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. lie — to recline
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. row — to paddle
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — in biology
  19. wind — moving air
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. row — a line
  22. cell — a phone
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. lie — an untruth

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