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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. wind — moving air
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. wind — moving air
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. season — in sport
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. stand — to bear
  13. season — of the year
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. kick — in football
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. fall — the season
  21. bark — to shout
  22. plane — a tool
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mouse — the animal

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