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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: mine · bear · face · trunk · land · wind · pass · plane

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. mine — for digging
  4. face — part of the head
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. land — a country
  8. bear — the animal
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. land — ground
  11. bear — the animal
  12. face — to point toward
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. plane — a tool
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. face — to confront
  22. land — to come down
  23. pass — a permit
  24. trunk — of a car

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