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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  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. stem — to come from
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. spell — a short time
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. spell — letters
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. row — to paddle
  10. board — to get on
  11. tube — a container
  12. fine — all right
  13. tube — the underground
  14. fine — high quality
  15. kick — in football
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. board — a committee
  19. plane — a tool
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. spell — magic
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. row — a line
  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