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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: nail · scale · face · plane · bat · stem · field · stock

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. face — part of the head
  4. field — farmland
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. scale — in music
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — goods
  10. plane — a tool
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. field — for sport
  13. bat — the animal
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. scale — size or range
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. field — a subject
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. face — to confront
  24. stem — to come from

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