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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. prune — to trim
  3. stand — to bear
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. march — the month
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. prune — to trim
  8. cold — not warm
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. march — music
  17. cold — an illness
  18. march — the month

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