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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: mug · stem · fine · plane · mark · band · wax · drill

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. mark — a grade
  3. band — a music group
  4. fine — all right
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. stem — to come from
  7. band — a ring
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. mug — a face
  11. wax — to grow
  12. plane — a tool
  13. fine — high quality
  14. mug — to rob
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. mark — a trace
  19. drill — army training
  20. mug — a cup
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. band — a rubber band

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