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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: land · leaves · pass · tube · plane · cold · firm · wake

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. tube — a container
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. firm — steady
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. land — a country
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. land — ground
  13. cold — not warm
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. cold — an illness
  16. wake — a trail
  17. land — to come down
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. firm — decided
  20. firm — a company
  21. pass — a permit
  22. tube — the underground
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. pass — to spend time

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