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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. object — a thing
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — tied together
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — an illness
  8. object — an aim
  9. stem — to come from
  10. object — to protest
  11. club — for golf
  12. field — a subject
  13. club — for dancing
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. sharp — clever
  17. field — farmland
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bound — certain
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. field — for sport
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. club — a group

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