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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: nail · plane · roll · wave · capital · march · jam · stand

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. march — music
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. march — the month
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. roll — a list
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. plane — a tool
  17. roll — a cake
  18. march — the month
  19. stand — to bear
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. capital — a city
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. plane — in geometry

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