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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.

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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: stand · tear · track · mine · plane · cell · wind · net

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in biology
  3. net — for catching
  4. track — a path
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. wind — moving air
  7. net — after costs
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. wind — moving air
  13. tear — to rip
  14. track — to keep track
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. tear — from crying
  17. net — in sport
  18. mine — for digging
  19. stand — to bear
  20. plane — a tool
  21. track — a song
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. stand — for spectators

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