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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. plane — a tool
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cap — a hat
  6. stock — shares
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ground — crushed
  10. cap — of ice
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. stock — goods
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. shower — rain
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — to wash
  23. wind — moving air
  24. ground — the earth

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