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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: board · pop · face · lash · plane · degree · stem · cell

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. plane — a tool
  3. pop — music
  4. degree — an amount
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. pop — to visit
  8. stem — to come from
  9. board — to get on
  10. pop — soda
  11. face — to confront
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. degree — from a university
  16. cell — a phone
  17. face — to point toward
  18. board — a committee
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. cell — in biology
  21. face — part of the head
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. degree — temperature

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