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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: stand · current · cold · net · foot · tear · arm · plane

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. tear — from crying
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — electric
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. plane — a tool
  10. cold — an illness
  11. stand — to bear
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. foot — a measure
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. net — for catching
  17. tear — from crying
  18. net — in sport
  19. current — of water
  20. cold — not warm
  21. tear — to rip
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. net — after costs
  24. foot — the bottom

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