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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · rest · stand · plane · leaves · bank · mate · march

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. wind — moving air
  3. plane — a tool
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. rest — what's left
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. mate — to breed
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. march — the month
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — of a river
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wind — moving air
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. mate — a friend
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. march — music
  22. rest — a break
  23. stand — to bear
  24. march — the month

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