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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. wind — moving air
  3. plane — a tool
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. cap — a hat
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — a stone
  12. cap — a lid
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. fall — to drop
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. rush — hurry
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. cap — of ice
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — for digging
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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