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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: plane · track · prune · chest · mine · mate · spring · stock

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. plane — a tool
  3. chest — a box
  4. spring — of water
  5. mate — a friend
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. track — to keep track
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mine — for digging
  12. spring — the season
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. track — a song
  16. stock — shares
  17. mate — to breed
  18. stock — goods
  19. chest — of your body
  20. track — a path
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. chest — of your body
  23. spring — a coil
  24. prune — to trim

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