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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: capital · wave · spell · race · ruler · last · rock · stem

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. stem — to come from
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. spell — magic
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — the arms race
  7. race — humankind
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. spell — letters
  12. last — finally
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. capital — a city
  16. last — final
  17. rock — a stone
  18. capital — money
  19. rock — music
  20. spell — a short time
  21. last — to go on
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. wave — with your hand

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