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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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468
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: spring · pitch · kid · land · plane · stem · rule · cabinet

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. spring — the season
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. land — a country
  11. spring — a coil
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. land — to come down
  14. plane — a tool
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. rule — a law
  18. spring — of water
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. pitch — completely
  21. kid — child
  22. rule — government
  23. stem — to come from
  24. kid — to tease

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