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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. wake — a trail
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. plane — a tool
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — music
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. degree — from a university
  13. row — to paddle
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. degree — an amount
  16. stem — to come from
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. row — a line
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bay — a horse colour

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