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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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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: cold · pound · bass · land · plane · race · can · fork

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. pound — a weight
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — in a road
  6. can — a tin
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. race — the arms race
  9. can — to be able to
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — not warm
  12. plane — a tool
  13. race — humankind
  14. bass — low music
  15. land — to come down
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. land — ground
  18. can — a tin
  19. bass — the fish
  20. cold — an illness
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. race — a contest
  24. plane — an aircraft

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