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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 116 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: stand · mine · cap · plane · wind · hand · object · pound

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. mine — for digging
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. cap — a hat
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. object — an aim
  9. wind — moving air
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. hand — help
  15. object — a thing
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. plane — a tool
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. cap — a lid
  20. wind — moving air
  21. hand — in cards
  22. stand — to bear
  23. object — to protest
  24. pound — a weight

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