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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. chest — of your body
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. chest — of your body
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — a permit
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. chest — a box
  13. stem — to come from
  14. lie — to recline
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. stem — of a plant

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