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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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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: ground · mate · shower · jam · plane · stem · hand · roll

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. plane — a tool
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. ground — a position
  8. roll — a cake
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. stem — to come from
  12. shower — to wash
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. mate — to breed
  15. hand — help
  16. mate — a friend
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. hand — in cards
  19. shower — rain
  20. mate — a partner
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. roll — a list
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. ground — crushed

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