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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: plane · current · land · dip · wave · bat · rush · pass

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. rush — hurry
  6. current — of water
  7. pass — a permit
  8. land — to come down
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. land — ground
  12. plane — a tool
  13. current — electric
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. dip — to sink
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. bat — the animal
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. current — happening now

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