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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: stem · rest · cell · lie · coach · plane · cap · rash

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. rash — hasty
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. rest — what's left
  5. cap — a lid
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. cell — in biology
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cap — a hat
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. stem — to come from
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rest — a break
  14. rash — a series
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cell — a phone
  18. rest — what's left
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. cap — of ice

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