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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. season — of the year
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fall — the season
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — a division
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. season — in sport
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cap — a hat
  16. plane — a tool
  17. cap — a lid
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. cap — of ice
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — clever
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. pitcher — in 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