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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: hide · can · wound · plane · date · bat · stem · bulb

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. can — a tin
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bulb — for light
  7. stem — to come from
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. date — the fruit
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. wound — an injury
  17. can — a tin
  18. plane — a tool
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bulb — for light
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. can — to be able to
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. wound — an injury

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