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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: hand · stem · bass · wax · plane · clip · mate · lash

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. hand — in cards
  4. mate — to breed
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bass — low music
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. wax — to grow
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. plane — a tool
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bass — the fish
  14. mate — a partner
  15. stem — to come from
  16. clip — a video
  17. mate — a friend
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. hand — help

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