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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: tube · drill · wind · ground · present · pass · plane · last

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. last — to go on
  3. ground — the earth
  4. wind — moving air
  5. ground — crushed
  6. plane — a tool
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. drill — army training
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. present — there
  11. tube — the underground
  12. ground — a position
  13. wind — moving air
  14. tube — a container
  15. drill — the tool
  16. last — finally
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. present — a gift
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. last — final
  21. drill — a practice
  22. present — the time now
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. pass — a permit

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