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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: plane · row · straw · stock · fan · roll · cell · cap

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. roll — a list
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cell — in biology
  9. stock — goods
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stock — shares
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cap — of ice
  15. roll — a cake
  16. row — a line
  17. plane — a tool
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. cap — a hat
  24. row — to paddle

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