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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. fall — to drop
  3. stem — to come from
  4. squash — to crush
  5. club — for golf
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. squash — the sport
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. land — to come down
  10. fall — the season
  11. land — ground
  12. club — for dancing
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. fall — to drop
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. land — a country
  21. club — a group
  22. plane — a tool
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. stem — of a plant

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