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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 120 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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. stem — to come from
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. wound — an injury
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a hat
  12. tear — to rip
  13. plane — a tool
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. cap — a lid
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. wound — an injury
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. tear — from crying
  24. plane — an aircraft

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