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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: spring · toast · wake · cue · fall · pitch · face · plane

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. fall — the season
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. spring — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. face — to point toward
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. cue — for pool
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — a trail
  15. toast — bread
  16. face — to confront
  17. cue — a hint
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pitch — completely
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — a coil
  23. cue — a signal
  24. face — part of the head

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