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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: plane · mine · press · racket · wax · mark · fine · stem

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. press — a publisher
  8. mine — for digging
  9. press — newspapers
  10. fine — all right
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. fine — high quality
  13. mark — a trace
  14. stem — to come from
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. press — to push
  22. wax — to grow
  23. mark — a grade
  24. fine — a penalty

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