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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: wake · pop · cap · roll · face · plane · rush · pitcher

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. cap — of ice
  3. rush — hurry
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. wake — a trail
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. roll — a list
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pop — music
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. roll — a cake
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. face — to confront
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — a hat
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. pop — to visit
  22. face — part of the head
  23. plane — a tool
  24. pop — soda

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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