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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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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: fan · stem · pop · rest · cap · plane · deal · wind

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stem — to come from
  5. deal — to handle
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pop — to visit
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. pop — music
  13. rest — what's left
  14. plane — a tool
  15. pop — soda
  16. cap — a lid
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. cap — of ice
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. fan — a supporter

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