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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: stem · arm · shower · cabinet · plane · mine · toast · file

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. toast — bread
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. file — a document
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. shower — to wash
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. file — a tool
  20. shower — rain
  21. mine — for digging
  22. plane — a tool
  23. stem — to come from
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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