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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 120 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: dip · cue · wind · rash · stem · plane · bowl · nail

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. rash — hasty
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. stem — to come from
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. rash — a series
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. wind — moving air
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — a tool
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. cue — a signal
  21. wind — moving air
  22. dip — to sink
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. cue — for pool

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