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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'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. net — for catching
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. plane — a tool
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — a division
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. net — after costs
  11. capital — money
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. net — in sport
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. firm — a company
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. firm — decided
  22. stem — to come from
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. capital — a city

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