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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: row · last · march · wind · mine · mate · coach · plane

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. march — the month
  5. last — finally
  6. mate — a partner
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wind — moving air
  9. march — the month
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — a tool
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — to breed
  17. row — to paddle
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — for digging
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. march — music
  23. last — final
  24. last — to go on

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