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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: pop · board · patient · stem · plane · spell · clip · season

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. season — in sport
  3. board — to get on
  4. season — of the year
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. pop — music
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. clip — to cut
  12. plane — a tool
  13. board — a committee
  14. stem — to come from
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. spell — magic
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. clip — for paper
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — letters
  23. clip — a video
  24. pop — soda

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