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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: land · mine · wax · stem · plane · board · current · pit

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. current — of water
  7. plane — a tool
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pit — in a race
  10. board — a committee
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. current — happening now
  14. wax — to grow
  15. stem — to come from
  16. board — to get on
  17. current — electric
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. land — a country
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. land — to come down
  23. mine — for digging
  24. land — ground

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