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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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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: bear · wave · pop · field · last · plane · land · nail

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — for sport
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. pop — soda
  6. last — to go on
  7. pop — music
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. land — ground
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bear — the animal
  13. land — a country
  14. bear — the animal
  15. last — final
  16. field — a subject
  17. plane — a tool
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. land — to come down
  21. last — finally
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. pop — to visit

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