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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 · leaves · trunk · stem · mate · toast · cold · press

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. mate — to breed
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. stem — to come from
  8. mate — a friend
  9. press — newspapers
  10. press — a publisher
  11. toast — bread
  12. press — to push
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. cold — an illness
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. mate — a partner
  19. cold — not warm
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. plane — a tool
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. leaves — lets stay

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