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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: fan · last · stem · date · leaves · bay · rock · fall

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. stem — to come from
  3. last — final
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. date — the fruit
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — a stone
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. fall — the season
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. last — to go on
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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