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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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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: kick · march · ruler · land · stem · lean · court · race

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. land — to come down
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. race — the arms race
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. race — humankind
  10. march — the month
  11. stem — to come from
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — for sport
  14. march — the month
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. land — ground
  18. lean — to bend
  19. kick — in football
  20. race — a contest
  21. march — music
  22. land — a country
  23. lean — thin
  24. court — of law

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