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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 · row · season · ruler · bore · rule · tear · mate

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. rule — a law
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — to breed
  5. row — a line
  6. rule — government
  7. row — to paddle
  8. bore — to drill
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stem — to come from
  11. tear — from crying
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. season — of the year
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. season — in sport
  21. mate — a friend
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bore — to tire

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