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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. clip — a video
  5. fine — all right
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. clip — for paper
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. clip — to cut
  14. drill — army training
  15. rush — hurry
  16. plane — a tool
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. fine — high quality
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. stem — to come from
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — a practice
  24. toast — bread

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