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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. staff — a stick
  5. plane — a tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pop — soda
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. lie — to recline
  11. cell — a phone
  12. staff — employees
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bear — the animal
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. cell — in biology
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. staff — employees
  23. bear — the animal
  24. lie — an untruth

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