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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. pit — a hole
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. stem — to come from
  13. dip — to sink
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. branch — a division
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. lean — thin
  22. lean — to bend
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. pit — in a race

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