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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 · jam · lean · kid · stem · pop · rest · plane

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. pop — to visit
  3. plane — a tool
  4. pop — soda
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. kid — child
  9. fall — to drop
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. rest — what's left
  13. lean — thin
  14. fall — to drop
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. pop — music
  18. kid — to tease
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. fall — the season
  22. rest — a break
  23. stem — to come from
  24. rest — what's left

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