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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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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: clip · capital · rule · drill · stem · ruler · lean · press

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. stem — to come from
  4. rule — government
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. clip — for paper
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. lean — to bend
  10. press — a publisher
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. drill — a practice
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. clip — a video
  15. press — newspapers
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. drill — the tool
  18. clip — to cut
  19. press — to push
  20. drill — army training
  21. capital — money
  22. rule — a law
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. capital — a city

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