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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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: mine · land · tear · plane · stand · tube · pitch · nail

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. land — ground
  8. stand — to bear
  9. land — to come down
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. tube — a container
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. land — a country
  14. pitch — completely
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — for digging
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tube — the underground
  24. plane — a tool

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