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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: stem · row · rush · wake · rule · dip · object · kid

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. rule — a law
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. object — to protest
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kid — to tease
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. rule — government
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. wake — a trail
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. rush — hurry
  19. stem — to come from
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. object — a thing
  22. row — a line
  23. kid — child
  24. row — to paddle

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