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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. snap — to click
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. pop — soda
  7. pop — to visit
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stem — to come from
  10. pop — music
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. plane — a tool
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — to confront
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. fork — in a road
  19. wake — a trail
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. face — part of the head
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wake — before a funeral

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