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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: stem · ruler · ball · hand · snap · fan · mine · ground

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. mine — for digging
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ground — crushed
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — help
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — a position
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. hand — in cards
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. stem — to come from
  20. snap — to click
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ruler — for measuring

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