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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: fall · stem · plane · sharp · rest · chip · wind · lean

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. wind — moving air
  4. lean — thin
  5. fall — to drop
  6. chip — for betting
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. wind — moving air
  9. rest — what's left
  10. sharp — clever
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — to come from
  17. fall — the season
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. chip — to eat
  20. lean — to bend
  21. plane — a tool
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. fall — to drop
  24. stem — a stem cell

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