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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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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. squash — to crush
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mine — for digging
  6. snap — to click
  7. plane — a tool
  8. root — the cause
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. stem — to come from
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. root — of a plant
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. root — of a word
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. stem — a stem cell

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