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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. last — to go on
  8. rest — what's left
  9. last — finally
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. plane — a tool
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. shower — rain
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. last — final
  20. shower — to wash
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. rest — what's left

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