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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 · land · plane · squash · root · fork · cap · mouse

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  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. land — to come down
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. fork — in a road
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. land — ground
  6. cap — a lid
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. squash — to crush
  11. root — the cause
  12. cap — a hat
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. root — of a plant
  16. plane — a tool
  17. root — of a word
  18. cap — of ice
  19. land — a country
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. stem — to come from
  22. squash — the sport
  23. mouse — the animal
  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