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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: wake · spring · bowl · date · plane · stand · season · mug

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. mug — a face
  7. season — in sport
  8. spring — of water
  9. mug — a cup
  10. date — the fruit
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. season — of the year
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. mug — to rob
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. spring — the season
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — to bear
  21. spring — a coil
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. plane — a tool

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