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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: ground · stick · cabinet · stem · jam · fan · fine · plane

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. fine — high quality
  4. ground — crushed
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. fine — all right
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. stem — to come from
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. plane — a tool
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. ground — the earth
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. ground — a position
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. fine — a penalty

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