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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: snap · fork · stem · court · band · lean · ruler · cap

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. lean — to bend
  3. cap — of ice
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. court — of a king
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. court — for sport
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. cap — a lid
  13. band — a music group
  14. snap — to click
  15. cap — a hat
  16. court — of law
  17. band — a ring
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. lean — thin
  24. ruler — for measuring

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