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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. cap — of ice
  3. file — a tool
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stand — to bear
  7. spring — a coil
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cap — a hat
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — a tool
  15. spring — of water
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stem — to come from
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pound — a weight
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a line of people
  22. cap — a lid
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. spring — the season

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