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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: stem · plane · row · date · fan · lean · leaves · arm

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. plane — a tool
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. date — the fruit
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. lean — to bend
  8. stem — to come from
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. row — a line
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. lean — thin
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. row — to paddle

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