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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: bark · board · nail · ruler · stem · ground · capital · fall

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. stem — to come from
  3. ground — a position
  4. board — to get on
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. fall — to drop
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. board — a committee
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — money
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ground — crushed
  21. fall — the season
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. fall — to drop

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