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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. plane — a tool
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. spring — a coil
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. rule — government
  8. race — humankind
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — a law
  11. spring — the season
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. spring — of water
  16. face — to point toward
  17. race — the arms race
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to confront
  20. stem — to come from
  21. race — a contest
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. plane — in geometry

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