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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 120 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: row · plane · face · land · spring · suit · mug · net

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. mug — a face
  3. spring — the season
  4. net — for catching
  5. face — to point toward
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. net — after costs
  8. face — part of the head
  9. plane — a tool
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. land — ground
  12. row — a line
  13. spring — of water
  14. land — to come down
  15. face — to confront
  16. suit — in cards
  17. land — a country
  18. mug — to rob
  19. net — in sport
  20. mug — a cup
  21. spring — a coil
  22. suit — clothes
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. suit — to fit

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