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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 124 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. pass — a permit
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fall — the season
  7. chair — a leader
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. root — of a word
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. fall — to drop
  16. root — of a plant
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wound — an injury
  19. root — the cause
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. plane — a tool

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