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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. plane — a tool
  4. stock — goods
  5. face — to confront
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stem — to come from
  10. face — to point toward
  11. stock — shares
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bulb — for light
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. lean — thin
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. bulb — for light
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. lean — to bend
  22. face — part of the head
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bat — the animal

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