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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 116 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: net · wound · object · march · fall · mine · stem · plane

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. mine — for digging
  5. march — music
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. net — after costs
  9. plane — a tool
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. net — for catching
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. object — a thing
  14. net — in sport
  15. object — to protest
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. stem — to come from
  18. object — an aim
  19. fall — to drop
  20. march — the month
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mine — an explosive

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