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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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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: fan · plane · drill · cap · mate · rock · pop · face

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — to breed
  4. pop — soda
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rock — music
  7. face — to confront
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. rock — a stone
  10. drill — the tool
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — part of the head
  13. cap — a lid
  14. pop — music
  15. drill — army training
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pop — to visit
  18. plane — a tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. cap — a hat
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. cap — of ice
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. plane — an aircraft

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