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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. scale — size or range
  6. chest — of your body
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. wound — an injury
  12. present — there
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. scale — in music
  16. chest — a box
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. plane — a tool
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. present — a gift
  23. chest — of your body
  24. plane — an aircraft

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