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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: march · plane · saw · coach · cell · can · kick · wake

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. plane — a tool
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. kick — in football
  7. can — a tin
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. saw — the tool
  10. can — to be able to
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. can — a tin
  15. saw — the tool
  16. march — the month
  17. cell — a phone
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wake — a trail
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. cell — in biology
  24. kick — with a leg

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