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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: bore · plane · stem · fall · squash · wax · board · spring

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. fall — the season
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. spring — a coil
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bore — to tire
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. plane — a tool
  11. spring — of water
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. board — to get on
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — to grow
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. bore — to drill
  19. squash — to crush
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. fall — to drop
  22. board — a committee
  23. stem — to come from
  24. squash — the sport

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