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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. current — of water
  4. plane — a tool
  5. rest — what's left
  6. tear — from crying
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. tear — to rip
  9. degree — temperature
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. land — a country
  13. degree — an amount
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. land — ground
  16. current — electric
  17. rest — a break
  18. tear — from crying
  19. land — to come down
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. stem — to come from
  22. rest — what's left
  23. current — happening now
  24. degree — from a university

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