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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: band · stem · mine · spring · lash · key · plane · wake

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. stem — to come from
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. band — a ring
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — a coil
  10. key — for a lock
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. band — a music group
  13. mine — for digging
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. spring — the season
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. plane — a tool
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. key — in music
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. key — the most important part

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