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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
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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: wave · ground · current · drill · leaves · plane · cold · bass

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. drill — a practice
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — crushed
  8. plane — a tool
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — army training
  12. cold — not warm
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. cold — an illness
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. current — electric
  17. bass — low music
  18. ground — a position
  19. bass — the fish
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. current — happening now
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. current — of water

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