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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — high quality
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to drill
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. swing — to play on
  9. bore — to tire
  10. plane — a tool
  11. swing — in golf
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. face — to point toward
  14. rule — a law
  15. swing — music
  16. can — a tin
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. face — to confront
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. face — part of the head
  21. can — to be able to
  22. rule — government
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. can — a tin

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