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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. root — the cause
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. plane — a tool
  7. last — finally
  8. root — of a plant
  9. stem — to come from
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. last — to go on
  12. root — of a word
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. sharp — clever
  17. prune — to trim
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. last — final
  20. lean — thin
  21. prune — to trim
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. lean — to bend
  24. dip — to sink

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