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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: temple · plane · lean · rash · stem · tear · field · lash

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — a subject
  3. stem — to come from
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. tear — from crying
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. tear — from crying
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lean — thin
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. tear — to rip
  16. lean — to bend
  17. rash — hasty
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. plane — a tool
  20. field — for sport
  21. rash — a series
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. rash — on the skin

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