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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. fall — to drop
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. present — a gift
  11. plane — a tool
  12. present — there
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. fall — the season
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — the fruit
  20. present — the time now
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. squash — to crush
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — for digging

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