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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.

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: tube · plane · stem · last · fan · leaves · fork · pitch

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. last — final
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. tube — the underground
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. fork — in a road
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. last — finally
  15. plane — a tool
  16. last — to go on
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. tube — a container
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. pitch — completely

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