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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 · can · plane · march · coach · pass · cell · ground

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. plane — a tool
  3. cell — a phone
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. season — of the year
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — crushed
  10. season — in sport
  11. can — a tin
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. march — music
  15. pass — a permit
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. cell — in biology
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. ground — the earth
  24. pass — to spend time

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