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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. rock — music
  3. rock — a stone
  4. bound — certain
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — for digging
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. bound — tied together
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. cell — a phone
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. file — a tool
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. stem — to come from
  20. file — a document
  21. bound — obliged
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. file — a line of people
  24. cell — in biology

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