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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. spring — a coil
  5. saw — the tool
  6. scale — in music
  7. march — the month
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — of water
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. scale — size or range
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. plane — a tool
  24. hide — animal skin

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