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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 116 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: plane · mouse · cap · wound · march · pound · key · fall

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. fall — the season
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. key — for a lock
  10. fall — to drop
  11. plane — a tool
  12. march — music
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. key — the most important part
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. march — the month
  19. cap — of ice
  20. fall — to drop
  21. march — the month
  22. cap — a hat
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. key — in music

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