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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: saw · jam · fine · spell · file · stem · plane · stock

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. file — a tool
  4. stock — goods
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. fine — high quality
  8. stem — to come from
  9. file — a document
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. fine — all right
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stock — shares
  14. plane — a tool
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — letters
  17. file — a line of people
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. saw — the tool
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. spell — a short time
  24. saw — the tool

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