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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 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. stem — to come from
  3. pound — a weight
  4. game — a match
  5. staff — employees
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. land — to come down
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. saw — the tool
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. land — a country
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. branch — a division
  18. saw — the tool
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. land — ground
  22. game — wild animals
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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