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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. face — to confront
  6. row — a line
  7. stem — to come from
  8. lean — thin
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. face — to point toward
  11. lean — to bend
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — a tool
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. wax — to grow
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. snap — to click

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