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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: fall · cap · stem · row · plane · bowl · straw · stick

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. cap — a lid
  6. stem — to come from
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. fall — the season
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. row — to paddle
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cap — a hat
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. cap — of ice
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. row — a line
  21. plane — a tool
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. fall — to drop

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