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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. plane — a tool
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. fall — to drop
  5. spell — a short time
  6. bank — for money
  7. tear — to rip
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. key — the most important part
  10. spell — magic
  11. bank — of a river
  12. fall — the season
  13. tear — from crying
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. tear — from crying
  17. hand — in cards
  18. key — in music
  19. stem — to come from
  20. spell — letters
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. fall — to drop
  23. key — for a lock
  24. stem — of a plant

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