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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. toast — bread
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — to come from
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. fall — to drop
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. capital — a city
  16. current — of water
  17. fall — to drop
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. plane — a tool
  20. capital — money
  21. fall — the season
  22. current — electric
  23. wake — a trail
  24. hide — to keep secret

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