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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rush — hurry
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. present — the time now
  10. plane — a tool
  11. swing — in golf
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. board — a committee
  14. mine — for digging
  15. present — there
  16. board — to get on
  17. present — a gift
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — music
  24. plane — in geometry

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