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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 · date · bank · ground · mug · stem · kid · chest

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. ground — a position
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. mug — a cup
  8. date — the fruit
  9. plane — a tool
  10. stem — to come from
  11. chest — of your body
  12. ground — crushed
  13. kid — to tease
  14. bank — of a river
  15. kid — child
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. ground — the earth
  18. chest — a box
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bank — for money
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bank — for money
  23. mug — a face
  24. chest — of your body

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