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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: court · stem · sharp · rule · drill · lie · club · prune

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. club — for golf
  4. prune — to trim
  5. drill — army training
  6. prune — to trim
  7. court — for sport
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. club — a group
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. drill — a practice
  14. rule — government
  15. court — of law
  16. sharp — clever
  17. court — of a king
  18. club — for dancing
  19. lie — to recline
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. drill — the tool
  24. rule — a law

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