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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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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: wake · cold · plane · pitcher · stick · land · bank · stand

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — a trail
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. land — to come down
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. bank — for money
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. cold — not warm
  10. land — ground
  11. cold — an illness
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. stand — to bear
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — of a river
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. land — a country
  22. plane — a tool
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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