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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: plane · mine · rock · lie · capital · bat · stem · last

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — the animal
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. last — finally
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. lie — to recline
  8. rock — a stone
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. capital — money
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. last — to go on
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. last — final
  17. capital — a city
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. rock — music
  22. plane — a tool
  23. stem — to come from
  24. mine — for digging

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