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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: plane · fall · degree · pass · land · cold · rock · can

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. land — a country
  8. cold — not warm
  9. land — ground
  10. land — to come down
  11. can — a tin
  12. degree — from a university
  13. fall — to drop
  14. can — a tin
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. degree — temperature
  17. plane — a tool
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. rock — music
  20. degree — an amount
  21. fall — the season
  22. can — to be able to
  23. pass — a permit
  24. rock — a stone

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