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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: stand · mark · fall · rash · rest · land · last · plane

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. land — ground
  5. rest — what's left
  6. mark — a grade
  7. stand — to bear
  8. last — final
  9. last — finally
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rash — a series
  12. rest — what's left
  13. fall — to drop
  14. rest — a break
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. land — to come down
  20. fall — the season
  21. land — a country
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. last — to go on
  24. stand — for spectators

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