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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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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: cap · plane · bound · snap · toast · club · present · stem

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. present — there
  4. plane — a tool
  5. bound — certain
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. present — a gift
  8. cap — a hat
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bound — obliged
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bound — tied together
  13. club — for dancing
  14. present — the time now
  15. club — for golf
  16. cap — of ice
  17. club — a group
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. toast — bread
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to click

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