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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: saw · stem · wound · court · cap · rule · nail · wind

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. wound — an injury
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cap — a lid
  10. stem — to come from
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. rule — a law
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — of law
  16. cap — a hat
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wind — moving air
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. cap — of ice
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rule — government
  23. court — for sport
  24. saw — the tool

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