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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: stem · racket · file · season · mark · plane · rash · pitcher

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. stem — to come from
  3. mark — a trace
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a document
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. plane — a tool
  15. rash — a series
  16. season — in sport
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. file — a line of people
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mark — a grade
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. rash — hasty

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