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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. spell — a short time
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. spell — magic
  7. rest — a break
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. plane — a tool
  11. mine — for digging
  12. rest — what's left
  13. court — for sport
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. court — of law
  16. rest — what's left
  17. spell — letters
  18. present — a gift
  19. present — there
  20. court — of a king
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. stem — to come from
  23. present — the time now
  24. mine — an explosive

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