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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 · arm · band · ground · fine · bat · plane · jam

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. band — a music group
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. fine — all right
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. fine — high quality
  9. plane — a tool
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. ground — a position
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. ground — crushed
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. band — a ring
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bat — the animal
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. stem — to come from
  24. ground — the earth

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