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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: toast · bark · rock · plane · current · cold · land · stand

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. toast — bread
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. land — a country
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. plane — a tool
  9. land — to come down
  10. current — electric
  11. current — of water
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. rock — a stone
  15. land — ground
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. rock — music
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bark — to shout
  22. cold — an illness
  23. current — happening now
  24. plane — in geometry

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