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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — for golf
  5. mate — to breed
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. rock — music
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — a video
  12. club — a group
  13. mate — a friend
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — to come from
  18. toast — bread
  19. plane — a tool
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. clip — for paper
  23. rock — a stone
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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