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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: ruler · cell · march · tube · race · mine · stem · kick

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. march — the month
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. march — music
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. cell — a phone
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. race — a contest
  10. tube — the underground
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. race — humankind
  13. mine — for digging
  14. stem — to come from
  15. kick — in football
  16. tube — a container
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. cell — in biology
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. race — the arms race
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. march — the month
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. tube — in a tire

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