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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 120 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: stem · straw · wake · plane · stock · season · dip · sharp

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. plane — a tool
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. season — of the year
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. season — in sport
  12. wake — a trail
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stock — shares
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. stock — goods
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. stem — to come from
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. wake — before a funeral

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