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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 116 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: bore · dip · wave · stem · plane · fork · kid · band

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. bore — to drill
  6. band — a ring
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fork — in a road
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. plane — a tool
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. dip — to sink
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. kid — to tease
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bore — to tire
  19. stem — to come from
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. band — a music group
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — child

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