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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: ball · leaves · pop · plane · file · wake · mark · stem

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. plane — a tool
  4. file — a line of people
  5. pop — soda
  6. file — a document
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. pop — music
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. stem — to come from
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. mark — a trace
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. pop — to visit
  15. ball — a great time
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. file — a tool
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. mark — a grade
  24. wake — a trail

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