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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 120 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: fall · rock · ruler · spring · nail · stem · fine · row

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. fine — high quality
  4. spring — a coil
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. row — to paddle
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. fall — to drop
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. fall — the season
  13. stem — to come from
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. spring — the season
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. fall — to drop
  19. rock — a stone
  20. row — a line
  21. fine — all right
  22. spring — of water
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. nail — for a hammer

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