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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. march — the month
  3. lean — to bend
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. cue — for pool
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. date — the fruit
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. cue — a hint
  13. march — the month
  14. lean — thin
  15. cue — a signal
  16. chest — of your body
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. march — music
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. rush — hurry
  21. chest — a box
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — a tool

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