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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 116 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: rock · fall · stem · spell · tear · plane · straw · bass

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. spell — magic
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — low music
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. bass — the fish
  10. rock — a stone
  11. tear — to rip
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. rock — music
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — a short time
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. stem — to come from

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