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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. mark — a trace
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. lean — thin
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. dip — to sink
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. face — part of the head
  14. bat — the animal
  15. plane — a tool
  16. face — to confront
  17. lean — to bend
  18. stem — to come from
  19. mark — a grade
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. face — to point toward
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. plane — in geometry

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