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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: plane · hand · stand · rule · wind · cue · temple · pound

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. plane — a tool
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. pound — a weight
  8. stand — to bear
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. rule — government
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — a signal
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. wind — moving air
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. wind — moving air
  21. rule — a law
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. pound — to hit hard

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