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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: cap · stem · cold · pitch · mark · last · plane · lean

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. mark — a grade
  4. lean — thin
  5. last — final
  6. stem — to come from
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. cap — of ice
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. plane — a tool
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — not warm
  15. pitch — completely
  16. cold — an illness
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. mark — a trace
  19. last — finally
  20. cap — a hat
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. last — to go on
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lean — to bend

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