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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: stem · ground · last · plane · racket · object · jam · bay

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. object — to protest
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. plane — a tool
  7. last — final
  8. last — to go on
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. object — an aim
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. ground — crushed
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. object — a thing
  20. stem — to come from
  21. last — finally
  22. ground — a position
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. ground — the earth

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