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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: spring · wake · mate · key · stem · lean · plane · clip

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. lean — to bend
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. key — in music
  5. lean — thin
  6. clip — for paper
  7. mate — a friend
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. spring — of water
  10. key — for a lock
  11. spring — a coil
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. clip — to cut
  16. plane — a tool
  17. mate — a partner
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. spring — the season
  20. key — the most important part
  21. mate — to breed
  22. stem — to come from
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. lean — to rest against

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