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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: tube · bore · lie · club · stick · stem · wave · plane

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. club — for golf
  4. tube — a container
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bore — to drill
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. tube — the underground
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. club — for dancing
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. club — a group
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — to recline
  22. plane — a tool
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. stem — a stem cell

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