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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 120 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: tear · pass · plane · last · row · lean · arm · cold

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. row — a line
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. last — finally
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. tear — to rip
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — thin
  17. last — final
  18. cold — not warm
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. plane — a tool
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. last — to go on
  24. cold — an illness

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