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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: can · lean · march · tear · ruler · cap · stem · bass

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. cap — a hat
  4. tear — from crying
  5. march — music
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. stem — to come from
  8. tear — from crying
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. can — a tin
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. march — the month
  13. bass — the fish
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. lean — to bend
  16. march — the month
  17. tear — to rip
  18. bass — low music
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. can — a tin
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a lid
  24. can — to be able to

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