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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: net · plane · wake · bore · stand · fan · row · roll

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  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. row — a line
  2. stand — to bear
  3. net — for catching
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — to drill
  7. row — to paddle
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. net — in sport
  15. roll — a cake
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. roll — a list
  23. net — after costs
  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