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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: bear · arm · rock · wake · bore · stem · bat · rule

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — a stone
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bore — to tire
  11. stem — to come from
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — government
  19. rule — a law
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bear — the animal
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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