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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 water is too ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. root — of a word
  3. plane — a tool
  4. mug — to rob
  5. last — to go on
  6. cold — an illness
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. last — finally
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. pass — a permit
  13. cap — a lid
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. cap — a hat
  16. root — the cause
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. mug — a face
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. stem — to come from
  22. last — final
  23. root — of a plant
  24. mug — a cup

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