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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. plane — a tool
  3. spell — magic
  4. stem — to come from
  5. vault — a safe
  6. file — a line of people
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. file — a tool
  12. last — to go on
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — the season
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. last — finally
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — a short time
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wake — a trail
  22. file — a document
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. last — final

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