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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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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: wind · jam · face · plane · tear · arm · stem · fall

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wind — moving air
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wind — moving air
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — a tool
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. tear — to rip
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. face — to confront
  12. tear — from crying
  13. stem — to come from
  14. face — to point toward
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. face — part of the head
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. tear — from crying
  20. fall — the season
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. fall — to drop
  24. wind — to turn a key

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