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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: stock · plane · rest · arm · cold · fan · cell · lean

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. lean — to bend
  3. cold — not warm
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. cell — a phone
  8. rest — what's left
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. cold — an illness
  12. stock — shares
  13. lean — thin
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. rest — what's left
  18. stock — goods
  19. plane — a tool
  20. cell — in biology
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. rest — a break
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. arm — part of the body

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