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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: current · plane · march · field · pitch · wake · tear · bay

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. tear — from crying
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. march — the month
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. current — happening now
  10. plane — a tool
  11. march — the month
  12. pitch — completely
  13. wake — a trail
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. field — for sport
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — to rip
  19. field — a subject
  20. march — music
  21. field — farmland
  22. current — of water
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. current — electric

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