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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 116 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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. file — a document
  3. prune — to trim
  4. file — a tool
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. wake — a trail
  7. stock — goods
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a dance
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — to come from
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. prune — to trim
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. file — a line of people
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — shares
  24. stem — a stem cell

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