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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.

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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. cold — an illness
  4. march — music
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. swing — to play on
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. plane — a tool
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bark — to shout
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. swing — music
  13. cold — not warm
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. march — the month
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. march — the month
  22. prune — to trim
  23. swing — in golf
  24. prune — to trim

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