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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 · dip · cell · wake · mate · bass · stem · patient

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. plane — a tool
  3. mate — a partner
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. mate — a friend
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. bass — the fish
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. mate — to breed
  20. dip — to sink
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bass — low music
  23. cell — in biology
  24. wake — a trail

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