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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: toast · plane · jam · foot · stem · wake · bat · mine

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. foot — a measure
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. mine — for digging
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — to come from
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. wake — a trail
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. bat — the animal
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. toast — bread
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  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