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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: stem · land · mug · wind · ruler · race · court · rule

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. rule — government
  5. mug — to rob
  6. land — to come down
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. court — of law
  12. mug — a cup
  13. race — humankind
  14. mug — a face
  15. race — the arms race
  16. stem — to come from
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. land — a country
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. race — a contest
  24. land — ground

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