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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. lean — thin
  3. dip — to sink
  4. lean — to bend
  5. fall — to drop
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. march — music
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. fall — to drop
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. fall — the season
  14. march — the month
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. plane — a tool
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — to come from
  23. saw — the tool
  24. stand — for spectators

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