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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. plane — a tool
  9. stem — to come from
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. march — the month
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. march — music
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. march — the month
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. chair — a leader
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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