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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · spring · charge · hand · land · pitcher · stem · lie

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. land — ground
  4. charge — electricity
  5. spring — a coil
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. plane — a tool
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. land — to come down
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. charge — in control
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. hand — in cards
  16. land — a country
  17. lie — to recline
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. hand — help
  22. charge — a price
  23. spring — of water
  24. lie — an untruth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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