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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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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 · spell · snap · cell · bore · kid · stem · pound

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. bore — to tire
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — child
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. spell — magic
  12. pound — a weight
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bore — to drill
  17. spell — a short time
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. spell — letters
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — a phone
  23. snap — to click
  24. cell — in biology

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