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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 120 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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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — a trail
  6. band — a music group
  7. mug — to rob
  8. cell — a phone
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. stand — to bear
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. mug — a face
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. mug — a cup

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