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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 father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. dip — to sink
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. plane — a tool
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. kid — child
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. kid — to tease
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — in cards
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. fan — a supporter

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