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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: plane · lean · mate · land · swing · suit · mine · cold

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mine — for digging
  4. cold — not warm
  5. plane — a tool
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. suit — in cards
  8. lean — to bend
  9. cold — an illness
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. mate — to breed
  12. suit — to fit
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. land — a country
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. suit — clothes
  17. land — to come down
  18. swing — music
  19. swing — to play on
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. swing — in golf
  22. lean — thin
  23. land — ground
  24. mate — a partner

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