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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: plane · ball · stem · wake · coach · nail · face · current

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. ball — a dance
  4. face — to point toward
  5. wake — a trail
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. plane — a tool
  8. ball — a great time
  9. face — part of the head
  10. current — electric
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. face — to confront
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. current — of water
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. current — happening now
  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