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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 · row · date · kick · bat · game · perch · stem

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. plane — a tool
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — to paddle
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. perch — the fish
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a match
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. kick — in football
  21. stem — to come from
  22. row — a line
  23. bat — the animal
  24. stem — a stem cell

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