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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rash — a series
  4. root — the cause
  5. root — of a word
  6. rash — hasty
  7. wind — moving air
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. date — the fruit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. root — of a plant
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. plane — a tool
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fall — to drop
  24. date — on the calendar

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