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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: mouse · mine · lean · plane · stem · scale · wound · march

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. march — music
  4. stem — to come from
  5. march — the month
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. scale — in music
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. plane — a tool
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. march — the month
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. lean — to bend
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. mine — for digging
  22. wound — an injury
  23. lean — thin
  24. plane — in geometry

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