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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: date · chest · mouse · stem · pitcher · row · chair · plane

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. date — the fruit
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. chest — of your body
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chair — a leader
  16. stem — to come from
  17. chest — a box
  18. row — to paddle
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. row — a line

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