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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: cap · stand · plane · tear · club · face · rash · track

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. tear — from crying
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. tear — from crying
  6. cap — a lid
  7. club — for golf
  8. cap — a hat
  9. tear — to rip
  10. track — a song
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. rash — a series
  13. track — a path
  14. face — to point toward
  15. club — a group
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. track — to keep track
  19. face — part of the head
  20. plane — a tool
  21. rash — hasty
  22. club — for dancing
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. face — to confront

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