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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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. squash — the sport
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. stem — to come from
  5. lean — thin
  6. plane — a tool
  7. land — ground
  8. land — to come down
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. lean — to bend
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. rule — government
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. rule — a law
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. land — a country
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — to trim
  24. deal — to handle

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