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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: stand · chest · ball · net · stem · pop · hand · plane

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. hand — in cards
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. hand — help
  6. chest — of your body
  7. ball — a dance
  8. chest — of your body
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. chest — a box
  11. plane — a tool
  12. pop — to visit
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stand — to bear
  16. net — for catching
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. net — in sport
  19. pop — soda
  20. net — after costs
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. ball — a great time
  24. pop — music

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