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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: cell · hand · plane · stem · wake · stock · wound · snap

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. plane — a tool
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. wake — a trail
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stem — to come from
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. hand — in cards
  15. stock — goods
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. cell — a phone
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. stock — shares
  20. cell — in biology
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. wound — an injury
  23. hand — help
  24. wake — before a funeral

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