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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. content — the amount
  4. club — for dancing
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. club — for golf
  10. firm — a company
  11. fall — the season
  12. fall — to drop
  13. content — happy
  14. plane — a tool
  15. fall — to drop
  16. firm — steady
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. firm — decided
  19. club — a group
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. fan — a supporter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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