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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. fine — high quality
  4. cold — an illness
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bank — for money
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — not warm
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. plane — a tool
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bank — for money
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. bank — of a river
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. fine — all right
  23. stem — to come from
  24. fork — in a road

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