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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 124 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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. plane — a tool
  4. last — final
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. last — finally
  7. shower — rain
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. suit — in cards
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — from a university
  12. last — to go on
  13. degree — an amount
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. suit — to fit
  19. shower — to wash
  20. wax — to grow
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. stem — to come from

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