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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 116 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. plane — a tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. last — to go on
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. wake — a trail
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. last — finally
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. stem — to come from
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. sharp — clever
  23. stand — to bear
  24. wake — before a funeral

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