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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. stem — to come from
  6. band — a ring
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. firm — steady
  9. fine — high quality
  10. face — to point toward
  11. plane — a tool
  12. fine — all right
  13. staff — employees
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — an illness
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. staff — employees
  19. firm — a company
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. face — part of the head
  22. band — a music group
  23. firm — decided
  24. face — to confront

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