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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stem · rest · kick · deal · cold · plane

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. cold — an illness
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. rest — what's left
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. rest — a break
  11. stem — to come from
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. rest — what's left
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. cold — not warm
  16. plane — a tool
  17. deal — to handle
  18. kick — in football

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