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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 · cue · cold · foot · lean · dip · plane · fan

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. lean — to bend
  5. stem — to come from
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cue — a hint
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. foot — a measure
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. plane — a tool
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. cue — for pool
  19. lean — thin
  20. cold — an illness
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. cue — a signal
  24. dip — to sink

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