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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: mate · tear · bear · wound · saw · fall · plane · stand

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. tear — to rip
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. wound — an injury
  7. stand — to bear
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bear — the animal
  10. mate — a friend
  11. tear — from crying
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. mate — to breed
  14. saw — the tool
  15. fall — the season
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bear — the animal
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. plane — a tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. tear — from crying
  23. mate — a partner
  24. fall — to drop

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