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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 · stem · lie · rest · bowl · clip · stand · face

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  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. plane — an aircraft
  2. clip — for paper
  3. rest — a break
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — to confront
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stem — to come from
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. rest — what's left
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — a video
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. face — part of the head
  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