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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: season · game · dip · plane · stand · wound · key · pop

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. game — wild animals
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. stand — to bear
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. plane — a tool
  9. season — of the year
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — soda
  12. dip — to sink
  13. key — the most important part
  14. pop — to visit
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. key — in music
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. key — for a lock
  23. game — a match
  24. season — in sport

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