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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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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: toast · stem · band · leaves · plane · clip · pass · tear

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. clip — a video
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. clip — for paper
  8. pass — a permit
  9. stem — to come from
  10. tear — from crying
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. band — a music group
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. band — a ring
  15. clip — to cut
  16. plane — a tool
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. tear — from crying
  21. toast — bread
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. tear — to rip
  24. plane — an aircraft

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