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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lie — to recline
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. wound — an injury
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. lean — thin
  13. stem — to come from
  14. plane — a tool
  15. fall — to drop
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. fall — the season
  22. prune — to trim
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. wound — an injury

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