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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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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: squash · land · foot · fork · stem · straw · plane · last

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. last — final
  5. last — finally
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. squash — the sport
  8. land — ground
  9. fork — in a road
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. stem — to come from
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. foot — a measure
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. squash — to crush
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. land — a country
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. last — to go on
  22. plane — a tool
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. land — to come down

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