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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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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: last · stem · plane · row · cold · patient · ruler · lash

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. cold — an illness
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. last — final
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cold — not warm
  13. row — a line
  14. last — finally
  15. stem — to come from
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. last — to go on
  20. row — to paddle
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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