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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. rule — government
  3. stem — to come from
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. lean — thin
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. dip — to sink
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — a city
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. snap — to click
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. rule — a law
  17. capital — money
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. lean — to bend
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. plane — a tool
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the sport

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