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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. lean — thin
  5. land — ground
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. plane — a tool
  8. stem — to come from
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. land — to come down
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. rash — a series
  14. scale — size or range
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. lean — to bend
  17. land — a country
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. scale — in music
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. wake — a trail
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. plane — an aircraft

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