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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. plane — a tool
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. drill — army training
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. bat — the animal
  10. snap — to click
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. wound — an injury
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. stem — to come from
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. drill — a practice
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bat — for baseball

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