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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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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: pass · date · toast · firm · field · wind · plane · craft

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  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. toast — bread
  2. field — a subject
  3. date — the fruit
  4. wind — moving air
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. craft — a skill
  8. wind — moving air
  9. craft — boats
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. plane — a tool
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. firm — a company
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. firm — decided
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. firm — steady
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. date — on the calendar
  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