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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. ground — crushed
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. lean — thin
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. ground — a position
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. lean — to bend
  9. roll — a list
  10. hand — in cards
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — a tool
  15. shower — to wash
  16. key — in music
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. ground — the earth
  19. shower — rain
  20. key — the most important part
  21. roll — a cake
  22. hand — help
  23. key — for a lock
  24. stem — to come from

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