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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: foot · trunk · pitch · toast · tear · shower · fan · plane

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. shower — rain
  10. tear — from crying
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. plane — a tool
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. pitch — completely
  15. toast — bread
  16. foot — a measure
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. tear — to rip
  23. shower — to wash
  24. tear — from crying

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