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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 116 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. kid — to tease
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. plane — a tool
  7. lie — to recline
  8. kid — child
  9. row — to paddle
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. root — of a word
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. root — the cause
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. root — of a plant
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. row — a line
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — in music

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