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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. fine — all right
  3. plane — a tool
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. scale — in music
  7. ball — a dance
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. capital — money
  12. ball — a great time
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. fine — high quality
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. rush — hurry
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. scale — size or range
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. capital — a city
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — to come from

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