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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 120 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 · lie · plane · hand · pop · clip · mark · squash

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mark — a trace
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. lie — to recline
  8. pop — soda
  9. clip — for paper
  10. squash — the sport
  11. hand — help
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. hand — in cards
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. clip — to cut
  18. pop — to visit
  19. squash — to crush
  20. clip — a video
  21. pop — music
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. plane — a tool
  24. stem — to come from

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