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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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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: rest · cell · pitcher · last · club · ruler · stem · wave

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. club — for dancing
  4. rest — what's left
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. cell — in biology
  11. last — final
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. last — to go on
  14. club — for golf
  15. rest — a break
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. cell — a phone
  18. stem — to come from
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. last — finally
  21. club — a group
  22. rest — what's left
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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