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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.

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: pass · plane · field · ball · march · fan · shower · fork

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. shower — to wash
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. ball — a great time
  7. pass — a permit
  8. field — a subject
  9. march — music
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. field — farmland
  13. fork — in a road
  14. ball — a dance
  15. march — the month
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. plane — a tool
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. march — the month
  22. shower — rain
  23. field — for sport
  24. fan — a supporter

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