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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: stem · kid · mine · track · plane · leaves

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. kid — child
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. plane — a tool
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. track — a song
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. kid — to tease
  14. track — a path
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. stem — to come from
  18. track — to keep track

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